Abstract
The objective of this study is to clarify the genetic diversity and seed sources of the Zostera marina population colonizing the habitat constructed in a depression on the coast of Iwakuni in Hiroshima Bay. We investigated Zostera beds in Hiroshima Bay and conducted genetic analysis of 30 samples collected at each of the six beds, using five microsatellite markers. Our results are as follows. The major seed production areas were considered to be Nomijima, Obatake-Kojiro and Miyajima. The mean numbers of alleles per locus and heterozygosities were almost the same between the constructed and natural habitats. The pairwise Fst ranged from 0.000 to 0.037, suggesting a high gene flow among populations in Hiroshima Bay. Assignment test showed the maximum likelihood values between the samples of the constructed habitat and distant populations (more than 15-20 km away) as well as of neighboring populations. These results suggested that the Z. marina population colonizing the constructed habitat had almost the same genetic diversity as the natural population, and that distant populations as well as neighboring populations in Hiroshima Bay can serve a seed supply source.
