Asian-Pacific Aquaculture 2024

July 2 - 5, 2024

Surabaya, Indonesia

DELINEATING GENETIC STOCKS OF THE SANDFISH Holothuria (Metriatyla) scabra: REGIONAL AND FINE-SCALE GENETIC STRUCTURE OF PHILIPPINE POPULATIONS REVEALED BY GENOME-WIDE SNP MARKERS

Rachel Ravago-Gotanco* , Joselito A. Tabardillo Jr., Deo Angelo S. Macahig , Marie Antonette Juinio-Meñez

 

Marine Science Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines

rrgotanco@msi.upd.edu.ph

 



The sandfish Holothuria scabra is one of the most widely-traded and in-demand  sea cucumber  species, with the dried form commanding steep prices in global markets.  In the Philippines,  the species is  considered overharvested  with declining capture production. D elineation of genetic stocks is important to guide the development of sustainable management and conservation interventions. This study used  a genotyping-by-sequencing approach  based on doubl e-digest restriction site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq), to assess regional and fine-scale  genetic  structure of  Philippine populations of  H. scabra . Sandfish were sampled from  14 natural populations across the Philippine archipelago.  Population genomic analysis  of 163 individuals genotypes at 3,646 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers  reveals significant genetic differentiation (overall FST = 0.0342, p < 0.05).  Across broad spatial scales, patterns of genetic structure were broadly concordant with marine biogeographic regions.  G enetic structure was further detected within regions, indicating that  gene flow and dispersal of sandfish may be limited even at smaller spatial scales (< 200 kms). Outlier loci analysis also suggests that some  genetic clusters  may be under local, adaptive selection warranting further investigation . These findings provide insights on sea cucumber stock boundaries and present baseline information  useful  for establishing  spatially-explicit fishery resource management strategies.