Revision of nucleotide substitution rate in mtDNA control region of white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus (Acipenseridae)

TL;DR

This study re-analyzed mtDNA data of white sturgeon to revise the nucleotide substitution rate, impacting estimates of population size and coalescence times without altering conservation conclusions.

Contribution

It provides a revised nucleotide substitution rate for white sturgeon mtDNA, refining population genetic estimates and conservation insights.

Findings

Revised substitution rate is 1.4 times lower than previous estimate.

Updated rate increases estimates of female effective population size.

Conservation status conclusions remain unchanged.

Abstract

The raw data from study of variation of D-loop mtDNA of white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus (Mol. Biol. Evol. 1993. 10: 326-341) was re-analyzed. Re-calculated nucleotide substitution rate ({\mu}) was 0.782-0.939 x 10-7 substitutions/site/year/lineage, which was 1.4 times less than the estimate given in above-mentioned publication. The use of new {\mu} has led to an increase in estimates of long-term female effective population size (Nef) and coalescence times for mtDNA haplotypes, previously calculated for samples of Amur sturgeon A. schrenckii and kaluga A. dauricus, but it did not affect the conclusions on the critical state of their natural populations.