Genetic homogeneity, lack of larvae recruitment, and clonality in absence of females across western Mediterranean populations of the starfish Coscinasterias tenuispina

1Citations
Citations of this article
18Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

We here analysed the populations’ genetic structure of Coscinasterias tenuispina, an Atlantic-Mediterranean fissiparous starfish, focusing on the western Mediterranean, to investigate: the distribution and prevalence of genetic variants, the relative importance of asexual reproduction, connectivity across the Atlantic-Mediterranean transition, and the potential recent colonisation of the Mediterranean Sea. Individuals from 11 Atlantic-Mediterranean populations of a previous study added to 172 new samples from five new W Mediterranean sites. Individuals were genotyped at 12 microsatellite loci and their gonads histologically analysed for sex determination. Additionally, four populations were genotyped at two-time points. Results demonstrated genetic homogeneity and low clonal richness within the W Mediterranean, due to the dominance of a superclone, but large genetic divergence with adjacent areas. The lack of new genotypes recruitment over time, and the absence of females, confirmed that W Mediterranean populations were exclusively maintained by fission and reinforced the idea of its recent colonization. The existence of different environmental conditions among basins and/or density-depend processes could explain this lack of recruitment from distant areas. The positive correlation between clonal richness and heterozygote excess suggests that most genetic diversity is retained within individuals in the form of heterozygosity in clonal populations, which might increase their resilience.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Pérez-Portela, R., Garcia-Cisneros, A., Campos-Canet, M., & Palacín, C. (2021). Genetic homogeneity, lack of larvae recruitment, and clonality in absence of females across western Mediterranean populations of the starfish Coscinasterias tenuispina. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-96331-6

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free