The genetic structure of Pandalus borealis in the Northeast Atlantic determined by RAPD analysis

The genetic structure of shrimp (Pandalus borealis) in the Northeast Atlantic was examined by RAPD analysis on specimens caught at eight stations in the Barents Sea, three off Svalbard, two off Jan Mayen, and in two northern Norwegian fjords (19 < n > 31 per station). A total of 34 polymorphic markers generated by seven 10-mer arbitrary primers was used to assess the genetic population structure using analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). There was considerable RAPD diversity (>90%) among shrimp at all stations. The two Norwegian fjords and the Jan Mayen stations were different from all the others, and the Jan Mayen stations also differed from each other. More than 98% of the genetic variation between Barents Sea and Svalbard was ascribed to individual diversity, and there was no significant difference between the two areas, although there seemed to be a subpopulation structure in the Barents Sea. Principal component analysis on the frequency of each RAPD marker on each sampled station confirmed the presence of three populations: Barents Sea and Svalbard, northern Norwegian fjords, and Jan Mayen. We postulate that the large genetic variability found at an individual level may provide the total population with a diverse genetic pool from which traits can be selected to respond to variations in local environmental conditions, and that this local selection may be the cause of the subpopulation structure observed.