Panmictic population structure in the migratory marine sparid Acanthopagrus australis despite its close association with estuaries

Abstract

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 412:223-230 (2010) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08676 Panmictic population structure in the migratory marine sparid Acanthopagrus australis despite its close association with estuaries David G. Roberts*, David J. Ayre Institute for Conservation Biology and Environmental Management, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia *Email: [e-mail] ABSTRACT: Recent studies have revealed surprising levels of genetic structuring within populations of marine species that were previously thought to be widely dispersed. Such subdivision may reflect unexpected physical or biological barriers to dispersal, including philopatric behaviour. Here we investigate the genetic structure of the eastern Australian yellowfin bream Acanthopagrus australis—a widely distributed species that is thought to be highly dispersive but is also known to spawn in close association with estuaries. Our data from surveys of allele frequencies at 6 microsatellite DNA loci for 350 fish revealed high levels of genetic diversity within all sites but no genetic differentiation of groups of recruits collected from sites separated by a distance of up to 50 km (allele frequency differentiation: FST = 0.002, p > 0.05). Moreover, there was no differentiation of adults spread across the distributional range of the species (several 100s of kilometers, FST = 0.002). We conclude that A. australis spawning is opportunistically associated with estuaries in general, and that the species essentially forms a panmictic population with a genetic homogeneity reflecting the predicted active northwards dispersal of adults and the southwards dispersal of larvae as affected by the Eastern Australian Current. KEY WORDS: Dispersal · Gene flow · East Australian Current · Microsatellites · Sparidae · Coastal lake or lagoon · Yellowfin bream Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Roberts DG, Ayre DJ (2010) Panmictic population structure in the migratory marine sparid Acanthopagrus australis despite its close association with estuaries. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 412:223-230. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08676 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 412. Online publication date: August 18, 2010 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2010 Inter-Research.