Do hatchery-reared sea urchins pose a threat to genetic diversity in wild populations?

ABSTRACT: In salmonids, the release of hatchery-reared fish has been shown to cause irreversible genetic impacts on wild populations. However, although responsible practices for producing and releasing genetically diverse, hatchery-reared juveniles have been published widely, they are rarely implemented. Here, we investigated genetic differences between wild and early-generation hatchery-reared populations of the purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (a commercially important species in Europe) to assess whether hatcheries were able to maintain natural levels of genetic diversity. To test the hypothesis that hatchery rearing would cause bottleneck effects (that is, a substantial reduction in genetic diversity and differentiation from wild populations), we compared the levels and patterns of geneti

SUBMITTER: Segovia-Viadero M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4806694 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature