Genetic structure of the Salvelinus genus chars from reservoirs of the Kuril Islands

Genetic resemblance of chars Salvelinus alpinus krasheninnikovi (Salvelinus malma krasheninnikovi) of 35 samples collected in five Kuril Islands—Shumshu, Paramushir, Onekotan, Iturup, and Kunashir—has been studied by the PCR-RAPD method. In the limits of each island, both resident isolates and anadromous forms give strictly supported clusters distinct from samples from the other islands. The samples from five islands form three superclusters: the first from Kunashir and Iturup Islands, the second from Paramushir and Onekotan Islands, and the third from Shumshu Island. The possible reasons for genetic similarity of resident and anadromous forms of Dolly Varden chars inhabiting reservoirs of a definite island are considered (the founder effect, homing, limited migration).