Allozyme genetic variability in the sea cucumber (holothuria polii) around the Maltese Islands

Abstract

Allozyme electrophoresis was carried out over 7 loci that were selected from a maximum of fourteen enzymes. These 7 loci showed an average polymorphism, over the entire population, of 23%. Genetic index and distance showed that a genetic variation is present in the sub-populations surveyed, with a significant difference within the sub-populations of Delimara and Anchor Bay. 54% of the specimens sampled show that they are coming from the same population. Another 12%, mainly specimens collected from Anchor Bay, show that they are genetically different. In both these sites, different sub-populations may have been in contact with different environmental conditions allowing for changes to occur. Differences in allelic frequencies between Holothuria polii from different sites were also detected.