Spatial genetic structure of northern pike ( Esox lucius ) in the Baltic Sea

Abstract

The genetic relationships among 337 northern pike ( Esox lucius ) collected from the coastal zone of the central Baltic region and the Finnish islands of Åland were analysed using five microsatellite loci. Spatial structure was delineated using both traditional F ‐statistics and individually based approaches including spatial autocorrelation analysis. Our results indicate that the observed genotypic distribution is incompatible with that of a single, panmictic population. Isolation by distance appears important for shaping the genetic structure of pike in this region resulting in a largely continuous genetic change over the study area. Spatial autocorrelation analysis (Moran's I ) of individual pairwise genotypic data show significant positive genetic correlation among pike collected within geographical distances of less than c . 100–150 km (genetic patch size). We suggest that the genetic patch size may be used as a preliminary basis for identifying management units for pike in the Baltic Sea.

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