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Population genetic analysis of the haemoglobins of the black‐chinned tilapia
Author(s) -
Falk T. M.,
Abban E. K.,
Villwock W.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8649.1999.tb00675.x
Subject(s) - biology , population , genetic distance , zoology , genetic variation , genetics , gene , demography , sociology
Three highly heterogeneous haemoglobin phenotypes, each composed of 22 different haemoglobin components, were identified among 17 West African populations of Sarotherodon melanotheron . Natural populations from (1) Senegal, (2) Ivory Coast/Ghana/Togo/Benin, and (3) Congo were distinguished. The heterogeneity and specificity of these respiratory pigments was based on genetic variations at the globin chain coding loci. In total, five different α‐chains and four different β‐chains were detected by acidic urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Combinations of α‐chains were characteristic for populations in (1) Senegal, (2) Ivory Coast, (3) Ghana/Togo/Benin, and (4) Congo. Pronounced variations at the β‐globin chain cluster were found by acidic urea triton PAGE. Cladistic analyses of the globin chain characteristics confirmed the validity of the following taxonomic units previously ranked as sub‐species: (1) populations from Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Benin belong to the sub‐species S. m. melanotheron ; (2) populations from Senegal form genetically a separate cluster representing the sub‐species S. m. heudelotii ; (3) the Congo population, morphologically considered to represent the sub‐species S. m. nigripinnis , forms another distinct unit; but there was no evidence of S. m. paludinosus within the samples from Senegal.