Estimating the inbreeding level and genetic relatedness in an isolated population of critically endangered Sichuan taimen (Hucho bleekeri) using genome wide SNP markers

Sichuan taimen (Hucho bleekeri) is critically endangered fish listed in The Red List of Threatened Species compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Specific locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq)-based genotyping was performed for Sichuan taimen with 43 yearling individuals from 3 locations in Taibai River (a tributary of Yangtze River) that has been sequestered from its access to the ocean for more than 30 years since late 1980s. Applying the inbreeding level and genetic relatedness estimation using 15,396 genome wide SNP markers, we found that the inbreeding level of this whole isolated population was at a low level (average F=2.6×10-3±0.079), and the means of coancestry coefficients within and between the three sampling locations were all very low (close to 0), too. Genomic differentiation was negatively correlated with the geographical distances between the sampling locations (p < 0.001) and the 43 individuals could be considered as genetical...