MITOCHONDRIAL DNA ANALYSIS OF THE EUROPEAN ANCHOVY IN THE SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN AND NORTHERN ATLANTIC COASTS?

The present study was undertaken to elucidate the genetic structure of anchovy populations in the region of the Straits of Gibraltar. Five natural populations: Punta Umbria, Barbate and Almeria (South of Spain) and Larache and Nador (North of Morocco) were studied by the analysis of the RFLPs of the complex NADH dehydrogenase gene (ND gene). Genes were amplified with universal primers and the PCR product obtained showed a size of 2.5 Kb coding for genes ND 5/6. The haplotype diversities ranged from 0.6846 to 0.8987 with variation of 83.3% within populations and 16.97% between populations. Genetic variability was found to increase from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea in the Spanish populations, but it decreased in the Moroccan populations. Genetic distance relationships among populations showed a geographic structure grouping the 5 populations in three clusters: one contained two of the Spanish populations, another contained the two Moroccan ones and the third contained the other Spanish population. This was located between the others in the Strait of Gibraltar. This genetic structure could be due to several factors including gene flow, depending on the hydrology of the zone, biology of the anchovy and habitat. These data are of interest for the design and application of management and conservation strategies for the genetic resources of E. encrasicolus in the area.