Polymorphisms at two enzyme loci (Sod and Odh) in populations of the Amur sleeper,Perccottus glenii (Pisces,Eleotrididae), from its native range and the colonized area: the effect of introduction on genetic variation

In the first half of the 20th century small founder groups of the Amur sleeper, Perccottus glenii, have been transferred from their native range in the Far East to some regions of the European part of Russia. In order to investigate the consequences of the introductions, 15 Far East populations and 11 European populations, that originated from two transfers, were studied for their variability on two enzyme loci (Sod and Odh) using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. For both loci, divergence between populations and heterozygosity in the populations were higher in the colonized regions than in the native range. Heterozygote advantage in small founder populations seems to be a factor resisting genetic drift and determining the changes observed in the genetic structure of the introduced populations.