Ancient mitochondrial DNA analyses of Iberian sturgeons |
| |
| Authors: | By A Ludwig U Arndt L Debus E Rosello A Morales |
| |
| Institution: | Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany;;Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Anthropology, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany;;Department for Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada;;NAWA GbR, Broderstorf/EMF GmbH, Nienburg, Germany;;Department of Biology, Laboratory of Archaeozoology, University Autonoma Madrid, Madrid, Spain |
| |
| Abstract: | Today's European sturgeons are relics of erstwhile widely distributed populations, diminished mainly by overfishing and habitat changes over the centuries. While extinct European populations in the Baltic and North seas have been identified as Acipenser oxyrhinchus or A. sturio , a clear species determination on the Iberian Peninsula is still lacking. Plans to conserve existing populations and to re-introduce extinct wild populations in European rivers will benefit from information of historic population/genotype composition. In this study, we used techniques involving ancient DNA as well as morphological comparisons based on bony scutes to identify twelve samples from five archaeological sites (650 bc –1500 ad , one sample dated 10.1–11.8 ky) on the Iberian Peninsula. All amplified PCR products of bony scutes (n = 5) had the mitochondrial DNA haplotypes of European sturgeon. Neither mitochondrial haplotypes of A. naccarii nor mitochondrial haplotypes of A. oxyrinchus were found. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
