Population structure of Holothuria leucospilota in the north of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea using DNA sequencing method

Sea cucumber is one of the most important ecological and economic species in Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. Sequencing was used to study the genetic diversity and population structure of Holothuria leucospilota in the north of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. For this purpose, 58 samples were captured from Bushehr, Bandar abbas and Chabahar. DNA from muscle tissue was extracted using Ammonium Acetate method. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was conducted on the targeted DNAs and DNA sequencing was carried out. The mean of haplotype diversity was high (0.78), 0.81 Chabahar, 0.8 Bandar abbas and 0.74 Bushehr. The lowest genetic differences were observed between Bandar abbas and Bushehr and the highest between Chabahar and Bushehr. The highest genetic distance was observed between Chabahar and Bushehr (0.08) and the lowest betwee Chabahar and Bushehr (0.03). The esult showed different population of H. leucospilota which should be considered in management of this economically important species.