Author(s)

Michael A. Erwin, Bagie George

School of Science and Technology, Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, GA, USA.

Pomoxis nigromaculatus, more commonly referred to as black crappie is indigenous to fresh water streams and lakes in the eastern United States and supports an important recreational fishery. We examined the genetic population structure of black crappie inhabiting three Georgian Lakes, Lake Sidney Lanier, Lake Seminole and Hartwell Lake. DNA sequencing of 229 fish samples, utilizing the DNA barcode marker cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) revealed 27 polymorphic sites which defined nine haplotypes. Only haplotype 2 was shared between all sample sites with six other haplotypes being unique for individual lakes, for an overall haplotype diversity of 0.734. Tajima’s D and Fu’s tests were implemented to assess departures from neutral expectations. Fst pairwise comparisons were statistically significant among all populations of black crappie evaluated in this study.

Pomoxis nigromaculatus, Black Crappie, Cytochrome Oxidase, COI, Haplotype, Mitochondria

A. Erwin, M. and George, B. (2017) Mitochondrial Haplotype Analysis of Pomoxis nigromaculatus Inhabiting Three Georgian Lakes. Open Journal of Genetics, 7, 105-116. doi: 10.4236/ojgen.2017.73009.