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In recent years, anthropogenic factors such as pollution, overfishing, and construction of hydroelectric plants have significantly impacted natural fish populations. Research focusing on genetically evaluation of these impacts is necessary to objectively target conservation programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic diversity of Curimba (Prochilodus lineatus), Pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus), and Piracanjuba (Brycon orbignyanus) populations from the Água Vermelha Reservoir, Rio Grande-SP. Microsatellite loci were amplified, producing 56, 24, and 26 alleles for the populations of the three species, respectively. The number of alleles per locus ranged from three to ten for P. lineatus, two to five for P. mesopotamicus, and two to four for B. orbignyanus. The observed heterozygosity (Ho) was higher in the P. lineatus population (0.547), relative to the P. mesopotamicus and B. orbignyanus populations (0.473 and 0.527, respectively). The mean values of Ho were lower than the average expected heterozygosity (He) in the three species, being corroborated by the positive inbreeding coefficient (Fis). Deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) were found in five, three, and two loci for P. lineatus, P. mesopotamicus, and B. orbignyanus, respectively. Wilcoxon tests revealed recent bottlenecks in the three species, evidenced by a significant excess of heterozygotes (p < 0.05) detected only in the Infinite Allele Model (IAM). In conclusion, adequate genetic variability was observed in the three populations with the presence of heterozygous deficits.

Nos últimos anos, fatores antrópicos como poluição, sobrepesca e construção de hidrelétricas têm impactado significativamente as populações naturais de peixes. Pesquisas que permitam avaliar geneticamente esse impacto são necessárias para orientar objetivamente programas de conservação. O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a diversidade genética de populações de Curimba (Prochilodus lineatus), Pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) e Piracanjuba (Brycon orbignyanus) provenientes do reservatório de Água Vermelha, Rio Grande-SP. Foram amplificados loci microssatélites que produziram 56, 24 e 26 alelos para as populações das três espécies, respectivamente. O número de alelos por locus variou de três a dez para P. lineatus, dois a cinco para P. mesopotamicus e dois a quatro para B. orbignianus. A heterozigosidade observada (Ho) foi mais elevada na população de P. lineatus (0,547) em relação às populações de P. mesopotamicus e B. orbignyanus (0,473 e 0,527, respectivamente). A média dos valores de Ho foram inferiores à média de He nas três espécies sendo corroborado pelo Fis positivo observado. Foi encontrado desvio do equilíbrio de Hardy-Weinberg (HWE) em cinco loci para P. lineatus, três loci para P. mesopotamicus e dois em B. orbignyanus. A análise de bottleneck revelou excesso de heterozigotos (p < 0,05) pelo teste de Wilcoxon nas três espécies apenas no modelo Infinite Allele Model (IAM). Foi observada adequada variabilidade genética nas três populações com a presença de déficit de heterozigotos.

ABSTRACT The genusBryconcomprises fish species of significant socioeconomic and biological importance in Brazil. Despite that, the genetic knowledge about these species is scarce, especially regardingBrycon falcatus. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the transferability of heterologous microsatellite primers inB. falcatus for the first time. Heterologous primers obtained from B. opalinus, B. hilarii, B. insignis, B. orbignyanus, B. amazonicus, Prochilodus argenteus, Prochilodus lineatus, Piaractus mesopotamicus, and Colossoma macropomum were evaluated. The primers that showed the best amplification patterns were applied to a sample of 22 individuals and the genetic parameters were calculated. Nine primers displayed satisfactory cross-amplification withB. falcatus: BoM5 (Brycon opalinus); Bh8, Bh13 and Bh16 (B. hilarii); Borg59 (B. orbignyanus); Bag22 (B. amazonicus); Par12 and Par80 (P. argenteus), and Cm1A8 (C. macropomum). The genetic parameters (number of alleles, effective alleles, allele richness, and expected and observed heterozygosity) and the polymorphic information content (PIC) confirmed the viability of these primers for population genetics analyses. Our study demonstrates the potential of transferability of microsatellite markers from related species and even different genera to B. falcatus, providing usefull tools for future population genetic studies in this species.

In the present study, the effects of β-glucan administration in water on growth performance and blood status (hematological indexes, immunological and biochemical parameters) were evaluated in Nile tilapia fingerlings (Oreochromis niloticus) under hypoxia-induced stress. In parallel, effect of this prebiotic (beta-glucan) was evaluated on gut microbiota diversity (16S rRNA gene) under normal oxygenation condition. Three treatments were implemented according to beta-glucan water supplementation: 0 (control), 0.1 and 0.3 mg L−1. Blood was collected before hypoxic challenge (BHC) and 9 h after hypoxic challenge (AHC). No significant differences were observed according to growh performance parameters. A significant increase in erythrocyte number and decrease in mean corpuscular volume (P

ABSTRACT: Brycon gouldingi is a species of neotropical fish of socioeconomic and environmental importance in the Tocantins-Araguaia Basin. Genetic studies on this species are still limited, making it difficult to evaluate the population structure and genetic diversity in natural and captive stocks. Here, we aimed to evaluate the transferability of heterologous microsatellite primers in B. gouldingi. A total of 30 primers for eight species were evaluated: Brycon hilarii, Brycon opalinus, Brycon cephalus, Brycon orbignyanus, Prochilodus lineatus, Prochilodus argenteus, Piaractus mesopotamicus, and Colossoma macropomum. The primers that showed the best amplification patterns were applied to 20 specimens of B. gouldingi, and their genetic parameters were assessed. Among the 30 primers, seven showed satisfactory transferability, six of which belonged to the genus Brycon: Bh13 (B. hilarii), BoM5, BoM13 (B. opalinus), Borg9, Borg13, and Borg59 (B. orbignyanus), and one belonged to P. argenteus (Par80). The primers for the other species tested showed non-specificity or monomorphism; and were therefore, excluded from the analyses. The number of alleles ranged between two (Borg13 and Borg59) and three (Bh13, BoM5, BoM13, Borg9 and Par80), with sizes varying between 103 bp (BoM5) and 430 bp (Borg9). Four primers showed evidence of null alleles (BoM13, Borg9, Borg13, and Par80), which could probably be attributed to the respective Hardy-Weinberg deviation. Thus, seven primers were validated for cross-amplification in B. gouldingi, which may be used in future studies involving this species.