International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 2025, Vol.15, No.3, 123-133 http://ecoevopublisher.com/index.php/ijmec 123 Meta Analysis Open Access Geographic Patterns of Genetic Structure and Global Gene Flow in Catfish Populations Wenying Hong, Rudi Mai Center for Tropical Biological Resources Research, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding author: rudi.mai@hitar.org International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 2025, Vol.15, No.3 doi: 10.5376/ijmec.2025.15.0013 Received: 28 Mar., 2025 Accepted: 30 Apr., 2025 Published: 18 May, 2025 Copyright © 2025 Hong and Mai, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Hong W.Y., and Mai R.D., 2025, Geographic patterns of genetic structure and global gene flow in catfish populations, International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 15(3): 123-133 (doi: 10.5376/ijmec.2025.15.0013) Abstract This study summarizes the geographical pattern of catfish population genetic structure and global gene flow characteristics, expounds the theoretical basis and technical progress of catfish population genetic research, compares the typical patterns of catfish population genetic structure in different regions such as Asia, Africa and South America, Europe and North America, and analyzes the dynamic mechanisms affecting global catfish gene flow, including geographical and ecological barriers (such as watershed isolation, habitat differences), paleoclimate and geohistorical events, and human activities (such as dams and species introduction). At the same time, it also explores the significance of population genetic structure and gene flow in ecological adaptation, hybridization consequences and speciation, and uses case studies such as Asia (such as the giant catfish in the Mekong River), America (such as the Amazon migratory catfish) and human introduction (such as the invasion of African catfish in Bangladesh) to deepen understanding. This study looks forward to the application prospects of catfish population genetic research, such as genetic resource protection, breeding application, advanced technical means and international cooperation, and provides a reference for population genetic research and resource management of catfish and other aquatic organisms. Keywords Catfish; Population; Genetic structure; Geographical pattern; Gene flow 1 Introduction Siluriformes (commonly known as catfish) include about 40 families and more than 4 000 species, which are widely distributed in tropical and temperate regions such as Asia, Africa and South America (Segaran et al., 2023). Catfish often play an important role in freshwater ecosystems. Many species are top predators or economic fish, which are of great significance to maintaining biodiversity and fishery output. For example, the African catfish (Clarias gariepinus), the Asian river catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) and the American catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) are all important breeding or fishing targets. However, at the same time, many catfish species face the risk of population decline or even endangerment due to overfishing, habitat loss or invasion of alien species. Genetic diversity is the basis for species adaptation and sustainable development, and the loss of genetic diversity may reduce the ability of populations to adapt to environmental changes. In recent years, global biodiversity conservation goals have also begun to emphasize the monitoring and protection of genetic diversity. Population genetic structure refers to the genetic differentiation pattern between different geographical groups, reflecting the degree of gene exchange and isolation in space. Gene flow refers to the exchange of genes caused by the migration and successful reproduction of individuals between populations. It can dilute genetic differentiation and maintain genetic consistency of populations, but excessive gene flow may hinder the formation of local adaptation (Sunde et al., 2020). On the contrary, when gene flow is limited, different populations will accumulate differences under the action of drift and selection, forming a significant genetic structure. For widespread catfish, populations in different water systems or geographical regions often have obvious differences in the degree of gene exchange: some populations have frequent gene exchanges and shallow genetic structures due to strong migration ability or habitat connectivity, while others are highly differentiated due to geographical barriers or ecological isolation (Popoola, 2022). Exploring the genetic structure and gene flow of catfish populations not only helps to understand their evolutionary history and adaptation mechanisms, but is also crucial for formulating regional fishery management, species protection and aquaculture variety improvement strategies (Ali et al., 2021).
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==