NOTE Upadhyay et a\ Genetic diversity of Epinephelus awoara determined by RAPD analysis 



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Data analysis 



The presence (1) or absence (Ol of RAPD products was 

 scored for all loci based on a minimum of two replicates. 

 Only those characters that could be reliably scored from 

 replicate RAPD reactions were included in the analysis. 

 Loci that failed to generate RAPD amplification products 

 were excluded from the analysis. Probability (Fischer's 

 exact test) was carried out to evaluate differences in 

 homogeneity of gene frequencies across populations for 

 each loci. Test of heterozygosity (H-p), expected hetero- 

 zygosity (Hj^), population differentiation (G^i<), and gene 

 flow (A'',,,) were also conducted between two populations 

 oi Epinephelus awoara. 



Results 



Two populations of Epinephelus awoara were analyzed to 

 characterize the RAPD marker for genetic variation. 



Useful RAPD primers and markers for genetic variation 



The first group of 20 primers (Table 1) produced a total 

 of 159 bands, among which 121 polymorphic bands 



(76.10%) were observed. The 38 monomorphic bands 

 (23.90%) could be considered, on a preliminary basis, as 

 population diagnostic bands that allow clear differentia- 

 tion among populations of Epinephelus awoara because 

 they were present in all individuals analyzed. Primers 

 S514, S1021, S1036, S1040 and S1042 generated more 

 diagnostic bands than did other primers. The absence 

 of these markers in related populations must, however, 

 still be confirmed. 



Primers that showed high levels of reproducibility 

 also produced more polymorphic bands. Over five poly- 

 morphic bands (5.76) per primer were produced from 

 20 primers on average. All 20 primers (Table 1) yielded 

 satisfactory amplification products for all specimens 

 tested. Each primer produced a unique band pattern of 

 amplified DNA. For a given primer and DNA template, 

 a number of bands appeared intense and reproducible in 

 all the replicates, and bands of weaker stain appeared 

 occasionally. All primers were able to distinguish two 

 populations of E. awoara, reproducing different and 

 well-characterized banding patterns. Banding pattern 

 variations observed with some primers were not consis- 

 tent for all individuals within or between populations 

 and therefore these variations should be attributed to 

 intraspecific polymorphism. 



