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Genetic evaluation of the initiation of a captive population: the general approach and a case study in the endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus)

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Abstract

Because of recent environmental changes, a number of species have become critically endangered in the wild. To prevent extinction of these species, captive populations have been established and generally maintained in a manner that attempts to avoid detrimental genetic changes. In particular, wild founders should be unrelated and not inbred. The subsequent generations in captivity should make the effective population size as large as possible to retain the initial genetic variation. Pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) from the upper Missouri River USA have not successfully recruited in decades. Perpetuation of this stock is now accomplished through captive spawning of wild-caught fish with subsequent release of their offspring. In addition to the fish released into the wild, more than 2,000 offspring of the wild fish from 11 year-classes are captively housed. We examined the genetic risks associated with using these fish as a captive population for the future propagation of pallid sturgeon and concluded that the wild individuals are unrelated, non-inbred remnants of a formerly larger population. Further, there is a sufficiently large effective population size (N e) present in the captive broodstock for propagation provided that the effective population size can be increased in subsequent generations. This study shows how genetic and evolutionary principles and applications can be used to evaluate the potential founders of a captive population and make recommendations for the long-term evolutionary success of an endangered species.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Jeff Powell, Kurt Schilling, and the staff at Gavin’s Point National Fish Hatchery for their assistance and Southern Illinois University Fisheries and Illinois Aquaculture center for providing equipment and assistance in the field. We would also like to thank our undergraduate assistant Josh Geltz, and the graduate students Emily Croteau, Jen Eichelberger, and Ryan Boley from the Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Rob Hopkins helped with the figures and Amy Anderson helped calculate inbreeding coefficients. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy Western Area Power Administration Upper Great Plains Customer Service Region Contract No. 08-UGPR-56, and Ullman Distinguished Professorship (PWH).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fisheries and Illinois Aquaculture Center and Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, 62901-6511, USA

    Melody J. Saltzgiver & Edward J. Heist

  2. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA

    Melody J. Saltzgiver & Philip W. Hedrick

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  1. Melody J. Saltzgiver
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  2. Edward J. Heist
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  3. Philip W. Hedrick
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Correspondence to Edward J. Heist.

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Saltzgiver, M.J., Heist, E.J. & Hedrick, P.W. Genetic evaluation of the initiation of a captive population: the general approach and a case study in the endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus). Conserv Genet 13, 1381–1391 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-012-0381-7

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