Linking population genetics and growth properties of Atlantic cod [Review]

摘要

It is strongly implicated that cod in the North Atlantic Ocean is sub-structured at a small geographic scale exemplified by studies from Canadian, Icelandic, and Norwegian waters. In the first part of this review, we reviewed population genetics studies in these three areas and our conclusion is that, despite some inconsistencies in the numerous genetic studies of cod in Norwegian and Icelandic waters, and the northwest Atlantic, these studies illustrate that cod in the investigated areas consists of several distinct populations, both within and between areas. However, to understand the contradictory results obtained in some of the studies discussed in this review, more knowledge about the influence of natural selection, mutation, and genetic drift on the genetic material of cod is necessary. Such knowledge could guide us to the markers giving the best illustration of the genetic structure in these areas. Identifying and genetically characterizing wild stocks are essential steps for their conservation, since overexploitation of genetically different populations can lead to the loss of genetic variability and productivity in subsequent generations.