黑龙江省野生秋子梨群体遗传结构的荧光AFLP分析

以来自黑龙江省海林市、东宁县和孙吴县3个居群的90个野生秋子梨株系为试材,利用荧光AFLP标记技术对野生秋子梨群体遗传多样性及遗传结构进行了分析,旨在为野生秋子梨种质资源的保护和利用提供科学依据。结果表明:野生秋子梨3个居群种群水平多态性位点百分比(P)为82.95%,Nei’s基因多样度(H)为0.1467,Shannon信息指数(I)为0.2397,野生秋子梨遗传多样性水平较低;3个居群的多态性位点百分比、基因多样度及Shannon信息指数比较,东宁居群>海林居群>孙吴居群,居群水平上东宁居群的遗传多样性较丰富;基因分化系数(GST=0.1008)显示,野生秋子梨的遗传变异主要发生在居群内;野生秋子梨居群间存在较大的基因流动(Nm=4.4603),说明3个野生秋子梨居群间存在着较频繁的基因交流;UPGMA聚类分析结果表明,3个居群是相对独立的孟德尔群体,且海林居群和东宁居群的遗传关系较近。3个居群中东宁居群遗传多样性最丰富,是进行原生境保护优先考虑的居群。     

桃不同类群的遗传多样性及其遗传结构的RAPD分析

采用RAPD技术,利用从200个随机引物筛选的22个十碱基引物对桃10个类群180个样品的DNA进行扩增,得到180个位点。通过对所得的数据统计分析,在类群的遗传多样度上表现为:黄肉桃类>蜜桃类>蟠桃类>红叶桃类>硬肉桃类>碧桃类>水蜜桃类>油桃类>寿星桃类>垂枝桃类。在180个位点中检验出多样度范围在0.4以上的位点分布在桃总群体中的有37个,而在桃类群间的则有13个。聚类分析的结果是:桃食用栽培品种的类群聚为一组;其它非食用桃类群各为一组。对桃类群的遗传多样性及其结构分析,为桃的品种资源保存和利用提供分子生物学依据。     

微卫星分析9个哲罗鱼野生群体的遗传多样性

哲罗鱼(Hucho taimen)是我国珍稀的土著冷水性鱼类,目前已处于濒危状态.为了解哲罗鱼的种群遗传多样性和遗传结构,该研究利用20对微卫星标记对9个野生哲罗鱼群体进行了分析.结果表明:9个哲罗鱼群体的观测杂合度在0.0994～0.8882,期望杂合度在0.2005～0.8759,PIC指数在0.3432～0.5261,其中呼玛河群体的遗传多样性较低.群体间的Fst在0.0246～0.2333 (P＜0.0001),Nm在0.8216～9.9292,群体间遗传分化较明显,基因交流少;群体的同胞系比例在27.78％～90.91％,说明近交压力较大,可能经历过遗传瓶颈或存在这样的风险.AMOVA分析表明,群体间各基因座遗传分化系数的均值为0.1081;聚类分析结果显示北极江段群体独立为一支,呼玛河群体与乌苏里江各群体聚为一支,黑龙江中上游各群体聚为一支.这些结果表明,哲罗鱼资源量的减少已经影响了群体间的基因交流.应杜绝对哲罗鱼资源破坏性捕捞,同时加强群体间基因交流,以期达到全面保护哲罗鱼种质资源的目的.     

内蒙古西伯利亚杏群体遗传多样性和遗传结构分析

利用27对SSR分子标记对内蒙古地区13个西伯利亚杏群体的遗传多样性和遗传结构进行分析,评价其遗传多样性水平和分化程度,为内蒙古西伯利亚杏资源的合理保护与利用提供理论依据。结果显示:(1)27对SSR引物共检测到512个等位基因(Na),各位点平均等位基因数(Na)和多态性信息含量(PIC)分别为19和0.84;物种水平上Shannons信息指数(I)和期望杂合度(He)分别为2.25和0.73。(2)群体水平上的等位基因(Na)、有效等位基因(Ne)、Shannons信息指数(I)、期望杂合度(He)和观察杂合度(Ho)分别为6.95、4.48、1.60、0.76和0.56;其中科左后旗群体遗传多样性最丰富,克什克腾旗群体遗传多样性最低。(3)基于F统计量分析的遗传分化系数(Fst)为0.12,基因流(Nm)为1.86;分子方差分析显示内蒙古西伯利亚杏群体大部分遗传变异来自群体内(92%),群体间的遗传变异仅占8%。(4)内蒙古西伯利亚杏群体遗传距离为0.04~0.67,遗传相似度为0.33~0.83;遗传相似度的聚类分析、遗传距离的主坐标分析和遗传结构分析(Structure)均将供试13个群体划分为4组。Mantel检测显示,内蒙古西伯利亚杏群体遗传距离与地理距离呈显著相关关系(r=0.453,P0.01)。研究表明,内蒙古西伯利亚杏资源具有丰富的遗传多样性,这一特性与其群体的大小、悠久的演化历史以及自身生物学特性相关;内蒙古西伯利亚杏群体间存在中等程度的遗传分化,这可能源于自然地理隔离以及近期人类活动引起的生境片段化。     

野生杏和栽培杏的遗传多样性和遗传结构分析

利用SSR分子标记结合荧光毛细管电泳检测技术,研究了野生杏和栽培杏的遗传多样性和遗传结构,结果显示:27个SSR位点,平均每个位点检测到17.82个等位基因(Na)和7.44个有效等位基因(Ne),平均Shannon's信息指数(I)为2.23,平均期望杂合度(He)和观察杂合度(Ho)分别为0.70和0.52。基于SSR位点,群体水平上平均等位基因数、有效等位基因数、期望杂合度、观察杂合度和Shannon's信息指数分别为6.59、4.15、0.70、0.53和1.50,说明我国杏种质资源遗传多样性丰富,其中野生杏资源遗传多样性明显高于栽培杏资源,野生杏中西伯利亚杏种质遗传多样性最高且具有较多的特异等位基因,而栽培杏中仁用杏遗传多样性最低,特有等位基因较少。聚类分析将供试159份种质分为4组。群体遗传结构分析将159份种质划分为5个类群,分类情况与传统形态指标划分基本一致。通过本研究可知,我国杏资源遗传多样性丰富,遗传结构较为复杂;西伯利亚杏与栽培杏亲缘关系较远;野生普通杏与栽培杏具有类似的遗传结构,推测野生普通杏为栽培杏原始种;仁用杏遗传多样性较低,遗传背景狭窄。本研究结果可为杏资源新品种选育及持续利用提供重要的理论依据。     

云南野生小蜜蜂群体SSR遗传多样性分析

【目的】小蜜蜂Apis florea是蜜蜂属野生种类之一,在我国主要分布于西南部。对于小蜜蜂的研究我国多集中在形态方面,遗传多样性的研究较少。本文旨在阐明云南地区小蜜蜂的群体遗传特征,评价其遗传多样性。【方法】本研究利用14对微卫星引物对采自云南省的13群野生小蜜蜂进行了群体遗传变异检测和遗传多样性分析。【结果】在小蜜蜂群体中共检测到53个等位基因,平均等位基因数为3.7857,平均有效等位基因数2.9420,平均期望杂合度和表观杂合度分别为0.5708和0.2184,平均多态信息含量为0.5300。根据Nei’s遗传距离用UPGMA方法对13群小蜜蜂进行亲缘关系分析,结果 13群野生小蜜蜂先分出红河(HH),再分出缅甸(MD)和普洱(PE),最后所有的西双版纳的聚在一起。【结论】说明同一地区的小蜜蜂的遗传距离相对不同地区的较近。     

湖南省华中樱群体遗传结构和多样性分析

华中樱是原产于我国的野生樱花,湖南省是其主要分布区域,开展湖南省华中樱遗传多样性研究,可为种质资源保护及开发利用奠定基础。通过对核糖体基因转录间隔区（ITS,internal transcribed spacer）序列进行PCR扩增和测序,应用遗传学软件分析了湖南省10个华中樱群体207份个体的遗传多样性和遗传结构。结果表明,湖南省华中樱的总体核苷酸多样性为0.0056,单倍型多样性为0.763,207份种质资源可分为14个单倍型,其中来自怀化市中方县的群体遗传多样性最高,其次是来自衡阳市南岳区的群体,来自郴州市苏仙区的群体的遗传多样性最低。分子方差分析（AMOVA,analysis of molecular variance）结果表明,60%的遗传变异存在于华中樱群体间,40%存在于群体内,大部分群体之间存在较大的遗传分化,其中来自常德市石门县和来自郴州市苏仙区的群体的遗传分化指数高达0.96571。中性检验结果表明,Tajima′s D(1.02121)和Fu and Li′s D(1.07527)均为正值,但统计检验不显著（P>0.10）;错配分布分析结果显示,错配分布呈双...     

白皮松天然群体遗传结构的地理变异分析

为探讨白皮松天然群体遗传结构在地理分布上的差异,利用7对SSR引物对5个白皮松分布区域的遗传结构进行了分析。结果表明：7对SSR引物在5个区域内476个单株中共检测到14个多态性位点。各区域间观测等位基因数（Na）、有效等位基因数（Ne）、Shannon’s 信息指数（I）、观测杂合度（Ho）、期望杂合度（He）、Nei’s期望杂合度（Nei’s）分别介于1.7143~2.1429、1.1942~1.571、0.1948~0.4954、0.1726~0.3116、0.1178~0.3325、0.1172~0.3307之间。白皮松遗传多样性水平总体较低,区域间差异较大;遗传多样性水平最高的区域为秦岭西侧群体,其次为大巴山区群体;太行山与吕梁山群体多样性水平相对较低。区域间的遗传分化系数Fst介于0.0138~0.2242之间,基因流Nm介于0.865~17.8646之间。遗传分化较大、基因流水平较低的区域均发生在秦岭西侧及其与其他区域之间。各区域间遗传相似系数在0.8416~0.9964之间,遗传相似度最高的群体为太行山与吕梁山区域,遗传距离最大的为太行山与秦岭西侧区域。白皮松多样性分布的中心主要存在于秦岭西侧和大巴山区域,因此应对该区域进行重点保护。     

云杉矮槲寄生遗传多样性及其群体遗传结构分析

该研究采用CTAB法提取云杉矮槲寄生(Arceuthobium sichuanense)的基因组DNA,利用ITS1片段的序列信息对中国9个不同地理群体的62份云杉矮槲寄生样本的遗传多样性及群体遗传结构进行分析。结果表明:(1)62条ITS1序列共定义16个单倍型(H1~H16),表现出较低的遗传多样性水平(h=0.678 5,π=0.005 9),而群体间的遗传多样性水平则表现出较大差异(h=0~1.000 0,π=0~0.009 4);AMOVA分析显示云杉矮槲寄生群体内的遗传变异占到51.37%,群体间为48.63%。(2)Network单倍型网络分析表明,单倍型H1和H12较为古老,且所有群体对2种单倍型无共享现象;单倍型H1是广布单倍型,存在于青海和甘肃的6个群体中,单倍型H12仅在四川的2个群体中有分布。(3)基于最大似然法(ML)构建的群体聚类和中介邻接法构建的单倍型网络图均显示,四川的3个群体为独立类群,区别于青海、甘肃群体,且甘肃和青海的群体之间没有明显分化。该研究首次报道了云杉矮槲寄生遗传多样性和遗传结构,为进一步研究其进化及后续的病害防控提供了一定的参考。     

江西野生寒兰居群遗传结构与遗传多样性研究

该研究采用叶绿体基因组片段(petB-petD)和核基因组ITS序列,对分布于江西的寒兰17个自然居群的252个体进行遗传结构与遗传多样性分析,以明确江西野生寒兰遗传多样性水平与居群遗传结构特征,为探寻江西寒兰资源数量锐减以及保护提供理论依据。结果表明:(1)nrDNA ITS序列长度652～658 bp,总变异位点140处,变异位点百分率为21.3%～21.5%,(G+C)含量为58.9%～67.1%。cpDNA序列长度522～529 bp,有变异位点9处,变异位点百分率为1.70%～1.72%,(G+C)含量为32.9%～33.7%。(2)分子方差分析(AMOVA)表明,种群内的遗传变异大于种群间变异,cpDNA片段居群间的遗传变异为40.76%,居群内为59.24%;ITS居群间的遗传变异为28.96%,居群内为71.04%;基因流(N_m)较大,cpDNA片段N_m为1.226 5; ITS N_m为0.726 7。(3)ITS和cpDNA数据失配分析和中性检验均表明江西寒兰野生居群在历史近期经历了扩张事件,nrDNA ITS序列较叶绿体序列进化较快,变异速率也较快。     

鹅掌楸贵州烂木山居群的微卫星遗传多样性及空间遗传结构

濒危植物鹅掌楸(Liriodendron chinense)目前仅零散分布于我国亚热带及越南北部地区, 残存居群生境片断化较为严重。研究濒危植物片断化居群的遗传多样性及小尺度空间遗传结构(spatial genetic structure)有助于了解物种的生态进化过程以及制定相关的保育策略。本研究采用13对微卫星引物, 对鹅掌楸的1个片断化居群进行了遗传多样性及空间遗传结构的研究, 旨在揭示生境片断化条件下鹅掌楸的遗传多样性及基因流状况。研究结果表明: 鹅掌楸烂木山居群内不同生境斑块及不同年龄阶段植株的遗传多样性水平差异不显著(P>0.05), 居群内存在寨内和山林2个遗传分化明显的亚居群。烂木山居群个体在200 m以内呈现显著的空间遗传结构, 而2个亚居群内的个体仅在20 m的距离范围内存在微弱或不显著的空间遗传结构。鹅掌楸的空间遗传结构强度较低(Sp = 0.0090), 且寨内亚居群的空间遗传结构强度(Sp = 0.0067)要高于山林亚居群(Sp = 0.0053)。鹅掌楸以异交为主, 种子较轻且具翅, 借助风力传播, 在一定程度上降低了空间遗传结构的强度。此外, 居群内个体密度及生境特征也对鹅掌楸的空间遗传结构产生了一定影响。该居群出现显著的杂合子缺失, 近交系数(F_IS)为0.099 (P < 0.01), 表明生境片断化的遗传效应正逐渐显现。因此, 对鹅掌楸的就地保护应注意维护与强化生境的连续性, 促进基因交流。迁地保护时, 取样距离应不小于20 m, 以涵盖足够多的遗传变异。     

Hierarchical analysis of genetic structure in the habitat‐specialist Eastern Sand Darter (Ammocrypta pellucida)

Quantifying spatial genetic structure can reveal the relative influences of contemporary and historic factors underlying localized and regional patterns of genetic diversity and gene flow – important considerations for the development of effective conservation efforts. Using 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci, we characterize genetic variation among populations across the range of the Eastern Sand Darter (Ammocrypta pellucida), a small riverine percid that is highly dependent on sandy substrate microhabitats. We tested for fine scale, regional, and historic patterns of genetic structure. As expected, significant differentiation was detected among rivers within drainages and among drainages. At finer scales, an unexpected lack of within‐river genetic structure among fragmented sandy microhabitats suggests that stratified dispersal resulting from unstable sand bar habitat degradation (natural and anthropogenic) may preclude substantial genetic differentiation within rivers. Among‐drainage genetic structure indicates that postglacial (14 kya) drainage connectivity continues to influence contemporary genetic structure among Eastern Sand Darter populations in southern Ontario. These results provide an unexpected contrast to other benthic riverine fish in the Great Lakes drainage and suggest that habitat‐specific fishes, such as the Eastern Sand Darter, can evolve dispersal strategies that overcome fragmented and temporally unstable habitats.     

Effects of fragmentation phenomena on the genetic structure and gene flow in Centaurea cineraria group (Asteraceae) in the Mediterranean Basin

The complex history of the Mediterranean region illustrates how ancient and recent phenomena are closely associated with species distribution and the creation of phylogeographic divisions within Mediterranean flora. A good model to explore the genetic consequences of fragmentation can be found in Centaurea cineraria and its close relatives. We applied simple sequence repeat molecular markers to a dense population sampling throughout the distribution area of all C. cineraria taxa to study how fragmentation has altered the genetic structure and distribution of C. cineraria. The average gene diversity (H_e) was 0.286, and the average allelic richness (A_r) was 3.65 and ranged from 2.15 (C. gymnocarpa) to 5.25 (C. busambarensis). The F_IS averaged a relatively high 0.223, ranging from ? 0.724 in C. aeolica subsp. aeolica to 0.589 in C. leucadea. Our results indicate that habitat fragmentation over several generations reduced heterozygosity due to random genetic drift in populations of C. cineraria. This heterozygosity erosion becomes more severe when the inbreeding coefficient is positive and the outcrossing rates show a significant increase. The results observed for outcrossing rates and inbreeding coefficient could also indirectly support the possibility of disrupted gene flow or mating pattern changes in fragmented C. cineraria populations.     

Population fragmentation leads to spatial and temporal genetic structure in the endangered Spanish imperial eagle

The fragmentation of a population may have important consequences for population genetic diversity and structure due to the effects of genetic drift and reduced gene flow. We studied the genetic consequences of the fragmentation of the Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) population into small patches through a temporal analysis. Thirty‐four museum individuals representing the population predating the fragmentation were analysed for a 345‐bp segment of the mitochondrial control region and a set of 10 nuclear microsatellite loci. Data from a previous study on the current population (N = 79) were re‐analysed for this subset of 10 microsatellite markers and results compared to those obtained from the historical sample. Three shared mitochondrial haplotypes were found in both populations, although fluctuations in haplotype frequencies and the occurrence of a fourth haplotype in the historical population resulted in lower current levels of haplotype and nucleotide diversity. However, microsatellite markers revealed undiminished levels of nuclear diversity. No evidence for genetic structure was observed for the historical Spanish imperial eagle population, suggesting that the current pattern of structure is the direct consequence of population fragmentation. Temporal fluctuations in mitochondrial and microsatellite allelic frequencies were found between the historical and the current population as well as for each pairwise comparison between historical and current Centro and historical and current Parque Nacional de Doñana nuclei. Our results indicate an ancestral panmictic situation for the species that management policies should aim to restore. A historical analysis like the one taken here provides the baseline upon which the relative role of recent drift in shaping current genetic patterns in endangered species can be evaluated and this knowledge is used to guide conservation actions.     

Population genetic structure of male black grouse (Tetrao tetrix L.) in fragmented vs. continuous landscapes

We investigated the association of habitat fragmentation with genetic structure of male black grouse Tetrao tetrix. Using 14 microsatellites, we compared the genetic differentiation of males among nine localities in continuous lowland habitats in Finland to the genetic differentiation among 14 localities in fragmented habitats in the Alps (France, Switzerland and Italy). In both areas, we found significant genetic differentiation. However, the average differentiation, measured as theta, was more than three times higher in the Alps than in Finland. The greater differentiation found in the Alps is probably due to the presence of mountain ridges rising above natural habitats of the species, which form barriers to gene flow, and to a higher influence of genetic drift resulting from lower effective sizes in highly fragmented habitats. The detection of isolation by distance in the Alps suggests that gene flow among populations does occur. The genetic variability measured as gene diversity HE and allelic richness A was lower in the Alps than in Finland. This could result from the higher fragmentation and/or from the fact that populations in the Alps are isolated from the main species range and have a lower effective size than in Finland. This study suggests that habitat fragmentation can affect genetic structure of avian species with relatively high dispersal propensities.     

华木莲居群遗传结构与保护单元

华木莲(Sinomanglietia glauca)仅分布于江西宜春和湖南永顺, 是我国一级重点保护植物。前人采用RAPD、ISSR以及叶绿体SSCP(single-stranded conformation polymorphism)标记对华木莲进行了居群遗传学研究, 但未包括后发现的湖南居群或未检出居群内遗传变异。为了全面检测华木莲遗传多样性及其空间分布格局, 并据此确定保护单元, 本研究采用细胞核微卫星标记对华木莲所有4个居群共77个个体进行了居群遗传学分析。结果表明, 华木莲具有较低的遗传多样性(平均等位基因数A = 2.604, 平均期望杂合度H_E = 0.423)和较高的遗传分化(F_ST = 0.425)。STRUCTURE和主成分分析(Principal Coordinated Analysis, PCA)将4个居群首先分为江西、湖南两组, 江西的2个居群实际上是同一个自然繁育居群, 而湖南的2个居群则为2个分化明显的自然繁育居群。研究还发现湖南居群存在明显的杂合子过剩现象, 可能是小居群内随机因素造成的。研究结果表明华木莲可能在近期历史上遭受过强烈的瓶颈效应, 导致种群缩小、遗传多样性丧失和居群分化加剧, 需要加强对其进化潜力的保护。在制定保护措施时, 需要考虑其较高的遗传分化水平, 根据遗传结构可以将其划分为3个保护单元, 即湖南居群和江西居群分别为2个进化显著单元, 湖南居群进一步划分为2个管理单元(分别为朗溪乡云盘村和小溪乡鲁家村居群)。     

Microsatellite analysis of demographic genetic structure in fragmented populations of the tropical tree Symphonia globulifera

We developed genetic markers for three microsatellite loci in the tropical tree Symphonia globulifera and used them to examine the demographic genetic consequences of forest fragmentation. High levels of genetic variation were revealed in samples of adults, saplings, and seedlings. The more-variable loci exhibited less stability in allelic composition across sites and stages. The number of alleles per hectare (ha) of forest was similar when continuous forest plots were compared to plots from fragmented forest for all three stages. This pattern also held for the number of unique multilocus adult and sapling genotypes, but the number of unique seedling genotypes per ha of fragmented forest greatly exceeded expectations based on continuous forest data, probably due to the concentration of seeds into remnant forest patches by foraging bats. Significant inbreeding and genetic differentiation were most often associated with the fragmented forest and the seedlings. Finally, principal component analysis reaffirmed that a bottleneck, acting in concert with pre-existing genetic structure in the adults, had led to enhanced and rapid divergence in the seedlings following deforestation, a result that is of central interest for landscape management.     

Population genetic structure of two ecologically distinct multimammate rats: the commensal Mastomys natalensis and the wild Mastomys erythroleucus in southeastern Senegal

Using the same set of microsatellite markers, we compared the population genetic structure of two Mastomys species, one being exclusively commensal in southeastern Senegal, and the other being continuously distributed outside villages in this region. Both species were sampled in the same landscape context and at the same spatial scale. According to the expectations based on the degree of habitat patchiness (which is higher for commensal populations in this rural area), genetic diversity was lower and genetic differentiation was higher in commensal populations of Mastomys natalensis than in wild populations of Mastomys erythroleucus. Contrasting estimates of effective dispersal and current migration rates corroborates previous data on differences in social structure between the two species. Isolation-by-distance analyses showed that human-mediated dispersal is not a major factor explaining the pattern of genetic differentiation for M. natalensis, and that gene flow is high and random between M. erythroleucus populations at the spatial scale considered.     

Population history of Manihot esculenta (Euphorbiaceae) inferred from nuclear DNA sequences

The nature of gene flow in plants -- including the propensity for interspecific introgression -- makes them interesting candidates for phylogeographical analysis. Plant phylogeography studies have been limited, however, by the availability of suitable intraspecific variation. In this study, DNA sequence variation from a nuclear gene [Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase; (G3pdh)] was used to examine the population history of Manihot esculenta ssp. flabellifolia and a potentially hybridizing species, M. pruinosa. These species occur in the rainforest-savanna ecotone adjoining the Amazon basin, a region believed to have undergone major habitat shifts since the Pleistocene. Geographical distributions of the G3pdh haplotypes indicate genetic isolation-by-distance across the range of M. esculenta ssp. flabellifolia. However, there is greater genetic similarity between northeastern and western populations than would be expected given the present species distribution. A nested clade analysis suggests that northeastern and western populations were connected by gene flow until relatively recently, when they became fragmented. This inferred fragmentation event is consistent with post-Pleistocene habitat shifts proposed for the Amazon basin. At the interspecific level, haplotype sharing with M. pruinosa may reflect either recent interspecific introgression or incomplete lineage sorting between these closely related species.     

Population structure and genetic diversity of black redhorse (Moxostoma duquesnei) in a highly fragmented watershed

Dams have the potential to affect population size and connectivity, reduce genetic diversity, and increase genetic differences among isolated riverine fish populations. Previous research has reported adverse effects on the distribution and demographics of black redhorse (Moxostoma duquesnei), a threatened fish species in Canada. However, effects on genetic diversity and population structure are unknown. We used microsatellite DNA markers to assess the number of genetic populations in the Grand River (Ontario) and to test whether dams have resulted in a loss of genetic diversity and increased genetic differentiation among populations. Three hundred and seventy-seven individuals from eight Grand River sites were genotyped at eight microsatellite loci. Measures of genetic diversity were moderately high and not significantly different among populations; strong evidence of recent population bottlenecks was not detected. Pairwise F_ST and exact tests identified weak (global F_ST = 0.011) but statistically significant population structure, although little population structuring was detected using either genetic distances or an individual-based clustering method. Neither geographic distance nor the number of intervening dams were correlated with pairwise differences among populations. Tests for regional equilibrium indicate that Grand River populations were either in equilibrium between gene flow and genetic drift or that gene flow is more influential than drift. While studies on other species have identified strong dam-related effects on genetic diversity and population structure, this study suggests that barrier permeability, river fragment length and the ecological characteristics of affected species can counterbalance dam-related effects.