Oscar Gaggiotti | University of St Andrews (original) (raw)

Oscar Gaggiotti

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Papers by Oscar Gaggiotti

What shapes variation in genetic structure within a community of codistributed spe- cies is a cen... more What shapes variation in genetic structure within a community of codistributed spe- cies is a central but difficult question for the field of population genetics. With a focus on the isolated coral reef ecosystem of the Hawaiian Archipelago, we assessed how life history traits influence population genetic structure for 35 reef animals. Despite the archipelago’s stepping stone configuration, isolation by distance was the least common type of genetic structure, detected in four species. Regional structuring (i.e. division of sites into genetically and spatially distinct regions) was most common, detected in 20 species and nearly in all endemics and habitat specialists. Seven species displayed chaotic (spatially unordered) structuring, and all were nonendemic generalist species. Chaotic structure also associated with relatively high global FST. Pelagic larval dura- tion (PLD) was not a strong predictor of variation in population structure (R2 = 0.22), but accounting for higher FST values of chaotic and invertebrate species, compared to regionally structured and fish species, doubled the power of PLD to explain variation in global FST (adjusted R2 = 0.50). Multivariate correlation of eight species traits to six genetic traits highlighted dispersal ability, taxonomy (i.e. fish vs. invertebrate) and habitat specialization as strongest influences on genetics, but otherwise left much vari- ation in genetic traits unexplained. Considering that the study design controlled for many sampling and geographical factors, the extreme interspecific variation in spatial genetic patterns observed for Hawaii marine species may be generated by demo- graphic variability due to species-specific abundance and migration patterns and/or seascape and historical factors.