Environmental features of deep‐sea habitats linked to the genetic population structure of a crustacean species in the Mediterranean Sea (original) (raw)
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Nature research Scientific Reports, 2020
the displacement of species from equatorial latitudes to temperate locations following the increase in sea surface temperatures is among the significant reported consequences of climate change. Shifts in the distributional ranges of species result in fish communities tropicalisation, i.e., high latitude colonisations by typically low latitude distribution species. these movements create new interactions between species and new trophic assemblages. the Senegal seabream, Diplodus bellottii, may be used as a model to understand the population genetics of these invasions. in the last decades, this species has undergone an outstanding range expansion from its African area of origin to the Atlantic coast of the iberian peninsula, where now occurs abundantly. Mitochondrial and nuclear markers revealed a striking high haplotypic nucleotide and genetic diversity values, along with significant population differentiation throughout the present-day geographical range of the Senegal seabream. These results are not consistent with the central-marginal hypothesis, nor with the expectations of a leptokurtic distribution of individuals, as D. bellottii seems to be able to retain exceptional levels of diversity in marginal and recently colonised areas. We discuss possible causes for hyperdiversity and lack of geographical structure and subsequent implications for fisheries. Tropicalisation, the displacement of species from equatorial latitudes to temperate locations, is one of the major reported consequences of climate changes 1-3. The increase of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the last decades has promoted shifts in the distributional ranges of species (e.g., 4,5) with individuals moving into areas best corresponding to their physiological optimum. Additionally, the ability of a species to colonise new habitats is influenced by oceanographic currents, the existence of adequate resource availability (i.e., habitat and food) and life-history patterns (e.g., number of eggs produced, age or parental care). These movements lead to the colonization of more poleward habitats by low latitude species, and create new interactions between species and new trophic assemblages. In commercial species, these shifts due to climate change can be magnified by fishing pressures, as reported for the North Sea cod (e.g., 6). Poleward colonization by organisms with a typically equatorial distribution was described almost three decades ago for terrestrial organisms in association with postglacial recolonisation routes (e.g., 7-10). As a general rule, organisms follow a leptokurtic distribution type, in which the majority of individuals stay at or near the original area, and only a fraction disperse to longer distances. This range extension is usually done in a steppingstone manner, implying that each settlement has fewer individuals compared with the previous one. Theoretically, this process corresponds to multiple successive genetic founder events associated with the corresponding genetic implications of the downsize in the effective population numbers: the erosion of the genetic diversity by genetic drift induces allele loss, the "southern richness and northern purity" paradigm 11. Additionally, the "central-marginal hypothesis" 12 posits that populations at the centre of the distribution have higher population sizes and gene flow, and peripheral (leading edge) populations, are smaller in size, have lower genetic diversity and will be more genetically differentiated 12. Phylogeographic studies using mitochondrial and nuclear genes revealed that species with similar environmental requirements and life-history traits often present distinct genetic and demographic historical patterns 13,14 .
Journal of Evolutionary Biology - J EVOLUTION BIOL, 2005
To investigate the origin and maintenance of the genetic discontinuity between Atlantic and Mediterranean populations of the common sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) we analysed the genetic variation at a fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence for 18 population samples. The result were also compared with new or previously published microsatellite data. Seven mitochondrial haplotypes and an average nucleotidic divergence of 0.02 between Atlantic and Mediterranean populations that matches a Pleistocene allopatric isolation were found. The frequency variation at the cytochrome b locus was many times greater between Atlantic and Mediterranean populations ( = 0.67) than at microsatellite loci ( = 0.02). The examination of the different evolutionary forces at play suggests that a sex-biased hybrid breakdown is a likely explanation for part of the observed discrepancy between mitochondrial and nuclear loci. In addition, an analysis is made of the correlation between microsatellite l...
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008
Extreme variation in early life-history strategies is considered a moderately good predictor of genetic subdivision and hence dispersal for a range of marine species. In reality, however, a good deal of population differentiation must reflect historical effects, more subtle variation in life histories, and, particularly, the interaction of larvae with oceanographic processes. Using a combination of allozyme and microsatellite markers, we show that the large-scale genetic structure of populations of three species (direct and planktonically developing cushion stars and a planktonic developing sea anemone that is also asexually viviparous) varies consistently, in line with the predicted capacity for dispersal within three geographic regions. We detected high levels of genetic subdivision for the direct developing cushion star (FST = 0.6), low levels for the planktonically developing cushion star (FST = 0.009), and intermediate levels for the sexual/asexual sea anmone (FST = 0.19). These patterns are exhibited despite the highly variable patterns of current movement and the presence of biogeographic barriers. Our results suggest that, although there is large scale genetic differentiation for two species, patterns of population connectivity are remarkably consistent within major regions and do not reflect variation in major oceanographic processes or genetic discontinuity coincident with biogeographic boundaries.
Massive gene flow across the world's most potent marine biogeographic barrier
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 1998
The`Eastern Paci¢c Barrier' (EPB), 5400 km of uninterrupted deep water between the central and eastern Paci¢c, constitutes the greatest marine obstacle to the dispersal of shallow-water organisms. However, some species are found on both sides of the EPB. These`transpaci¢c' species are considered by`dispersal' biogeographers as evidence of invasions through the barrier.`Vicariance' biogeographers, on the other hand, think that transpaci¢c species are morphologically conservative remnants of previously continuous distributions. We compared nucleotide sequences in a 642 bp region of mitochondrial DNA, and electrophoretically detected alleles in 17 enzymatic loci of central and eastern Paci¢c populations of Echinothrix diadema, an Indo-Paci¢c sea urchin recently reported from the eastern Paci¢c. Both types of molecules produced clear evidence of massive, recent gene £ow across the EPB. Thus, rather than being isolated relicts of Tethyan distributions, conspeci¢c populations from the eastern and central Paci¢c are genetically connected. Though the EPB is biogeographically important as a cause of speciation in many groups, it allows genetic connections in others, possibly through larval transport during El Nin¬ o events.
Marine Biology, 2000
Meganyctiphanes norvegica (M. Sars) is a pelagic crustacean that plays a key role in marine food webs of North Atlantic Ocean and marginal seas. We studied eight population samples collected in the European Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. By means of single strand conformation polymorphism analysis (SSCP) and direct sequencing, we investigated a segment of 158 base pairs of the mitochondrial gene coding for the subunit 1 of NADH dehydrogenase. We found 12 sequence variants among the 385 individuals studied. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 14.75% of the total genetic variability was explained by dierences between populations, thus indicating absence of panmixia for these populations. Pairwise comparisons revealed three distinct genetic pools: the ®rst one represented by Cadiz Bay, the second one by the Ligurian Sea, and the third one included all the NE Atlantic samples. We also investigated one population from the Alboran Sea (within the Mediterranean basin, east of the Strait of Gibraltar). This population was found to be genetically intermediate between the NE Atlantic samples and the Ligurian sample, suggesting that the re-striction to the gene¯ow is not associated with the Strait of Gibraltar, but possibly with the Oran±Almeria oceanographic front. The present work indicates that M. norvegica, although endowed with a high dispersal capacity because of its pelagic habit, can develop separate breeding units inside the same oceanic basin (the Atlantic). Furthermore, the Ligurian sample should be considered as a distinct evolutionary entity, separated from the Atlantic population.
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008
Extreme variation in early life-history strategies is considered a moderately good predictor of genetic subdivision and hence dispersal for a range of marine species. In reality, however, a good deal of population differentiation must reflect historical effects, more subtle variation in life histories, and, particularly, the interaction of larvae with oceanographic processes. Using a combination of allozyme and microsatellite markers, we show that the large-scale genetic structure of populations of three species (direct and planktonically developing cushion stars and a planktonic developing sea anemone that is also asexually viviparous) varies consistently, in line with the predicted capacity for dispersal within three geographic regions. We detected high levels of genetic subdivision for the direct developing cushion star (FST = 0.6), low levels for the planktonically developing cushion star (FST = 0.009), and intermediate levels for the sexual/asexual sea anmone (FST = 0.19). These patterns are exhibited despite the highly variable patterns of current movement and the presence of biogeographic barriers. Our results suggest that, although there is large scale genetic differentiation for two species, patterns of population connectivity are remarkably consistent within major regions and do not reflect variation in major oceanographic processes or genetic discontinuity coincident with biogeographic boundaries.
Plos One, 2012
Knowledge of the scale of dispersal and the mechanisms governing gene flow in marine environments remains fragmentary despite being essential for understanding evolution of marine biota and to design management plans. We use the limpets Patella ulyssiponensis and Patella rustica as models for identifying factors affecting gene flow in marine organisms across the North-East Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. A set of allozyme loci and a fragment of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome C oxidase subunit I were screened for genetic variation through starch gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing, respectively. An approach combining clustering algorithms with clinal analyses was used to test for the existence of barriers to gene flow and estimate their geographic location and abruptness. Sharp breaks in the genetic composition of individuals were observed in the transitions between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and across southern Italian shores. An additional break within the Atlantic cluster separates samples from the Alboran Sea and Atlantic African shores from those of the Iberian Atlantic shores. The geographic congruence of the genetic breaks detected in these two limpet species strongly supports the existence of transpecific barriers to gene flow in the Mediterranean Sea and Northeastern Atlantic. This leads to testable hypotheses regarding factors restricting gene flow across the study area. Citation: Sá-Pinto A, Branco MS, Alexandrino PB, Fontaine MC, Baird SJE (2012) Barriers to Gene Flow in the Marine Environment: Insights from Two Common Intertidal Limpet
Scientia Marina, 2010
The red and blue shrimp, Aristeus antennatus, inhabits deep shelf waters in the Mediterranean Sea, where the shallower portion of its distribution supports a large commercial fishery. Recent prospecting surveys in the western Mediterranean have detected virgin stocks dwelling at more than 1000 m, but the extent of gene flow between the exploited shallowdwelling stock and the deep-dwelling stock is unknown. To investigate the genetic structure of the population and estimate the depth component of gene flow, a portion of the mitochondrial DNA 16S gene (547 pb) was sequenced for 321 individuals from four different depths (350, 700, 1100 and 1500 m) at a location in the Catalan Sea. Haplotype and nucleotide diversity values were low and did not significantly differ across depths. Analysis of molecular variance showed no significant genetic differences between depths. Mismatch distribution and neutrality tests indicated that A. antennatus has undergone recent demographic expansion in the two shallowest layers. Our results suggest that the species is genetically structured as a sort of metapopulation in which gene flow that occurs during the larval and juvenile stages, when larvae are carried downstream and juveniles are carried upstream by cascading, plays an important role in the resilience of the exploited layers.
Aquatic Living Resources, 2012
The meagre Argyrosomus regius is a large Sciaenid fish known to reproduce in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea in just five distinct and restricted geographic areas: along the Mauritanian coast and at estuary openings (Gironde, Tagus, Guadalquivir and Nile). The biological traits of A. regius (high dispersal capabilities, high fecundity, long larval phase, overlapping generations, reproduction until 40 years of age) are, in principle, favourable to high gene flow, which should lead to genetic homogeneity over large geographic scales. Nevertheless, the high geographic distances between the few reproductive areas leads one ask whether there is genetic differentiation in this species. In the present study, the genetic differentiation of the wild A. regius was investigated across most of its natural range from the Atlantic Ocean (France, Portugal, Spain, Mauritania) to the Mediterranean Sea (Egypt, Turkey), using 11 microsatellite markers previously identified in another Sciaenid, the red drum Sciaenops ocellatus. At least two very distinct groups could be identified, separated by the Gibraltar Strait. Genetic divergences (F ST values) were intermediate between the Atlantic samples (0.012-0.041), high between Egypt and the Atlantic (0.06-0.107) or Aegean Sea (0.081) and extremely high between the Aegean Sea and the Atlantic (0.098-0.168). A. regius exhibited a very high level of genetic differentiation rarely reported in marine fishes. These results also demonstrate the existence of a sixth independent spawning area in the Menderes delta (Turkey). Factors potentially involved in this very high genetic fragmentation are discussed, including physical barriers, glaciation pulses and biological traits.