Preliminary Study of Genetic Variation of Heterobranchus Bidorsalis From Rivers Benue and Niger in Nigeria Using Microsatellite Markers

This study was carried out to compare the genetic variations of Heterobranchus bidorsalis from River Niger and River Benue in Nigeria using Microsatellite marker CN13. A total of 20 samples of Heterobranchus bidorsalis was obtained from the wild in Kebbi state and Adamawa state. The DNA was extracted using Zymo Research Extraction Kit and the Polymerase Chain reaction (PCR) was done with a PCR thermocycler Mastercycler Personal Eppendorf 22331 Hamburg Machine. The DNA band was run on 1% Agarose Gel Electrophoresis. Individual amplification success was 65%. 92% of the total alleles observed for the locus was homozygous and 8% was heterozygous. The genetic distance for the population ranged from 0.000 to 113.484 and had Cophenetic Correlation Coefficient (CP) value of 0.999. It was concluded that slight variation exists between the two populations of H. bidorsalis. This could be due to differences in ecological zones where the samples were collected though they belong to the same ancestor. It is therefore recommended that the two population can be crossed to produce hybrids with better vigour.