Persistent effects of historical sea levels on the population structure of a temporary wetland copepod
- Authors: Emami-Khoyi, Arsalan , Jooste, Candice M , Wasserman, Ryan J , Dalu, Tatenda , Raath-Krüger, Morgan J , Jansen van Vuuren, Bettine , Teske, Peter R
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/445115 , vital:74348 , https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.14139
- Description: Temporary wetland ecosystems are common in arid and semi‐arid envi-ronments, and are inhabited by diverse invertebrate communities. Little is known about the dynamics of genetic connectivity in the geograph-ically scattered populations of these wetland specialists. The current study investigated the spatial genetic structure and dispersal history of a recently described calanoid copepod, Lovenula raynerae, reported from temporary wetlands in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. We tested whether the species represents a single, well‐connected population or comprises different regional genetic groups, some of which may be rare or endangered.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
The last two remaining populations of the critically endangered estuarine pipefish are inbred and not genetically distinct
- Authors: Weiss, Sven-Erick , Emami-Khoyi, Arsalan , Kaiser, Horst , Cowley, Paul D , James, Nicola C , Jansen van Vuuren, Bettine , Whitfield, Alan K , Teske, Peter R
- Date: 2022
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/445101 , vital:74347 , https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.756595
- Description: Temporary wetland ecosystems are common in arid and semi‐arid envi-ronments, and are inhabited by diverse invertebrate communities. Little is known about the dynamics of genetic connectivity in the geograph-ically scattered populations of these wetland specialists. The current study investigated the spatial genetic structure and dispersal history of a recently described calanoid copepod, Lovenula raynerae, reported from temporary wetlands in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. We tested whether the species represents a single, well-connected population or comprises different regional genetic groups, some of which may be rare or endangered.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022
Coastal dunefields maintain pre‐Holocene genetic structure in a rocky shore red alga
- Authors: Mmonwa, Kolobe L , Barker, Nigel P , McQuaid, Christopher D , Teske, Peter R
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/444784 , vital:74298 , https://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.13182
- Description: Most intertidal algae have limited dispersal potential, and areas that lack hard substratum suitable for attachment are thus expected to isolate regional populations from each other. Here, we used nuclear and mitochondrial genetic data to compare genetic structure in two co‐distributed intertidal red algae with different dispersal potential along the South African coastline. Gelidium pristoides is divided into a south‐eastern and a south‐western evolutionary lineage separated by extensive, continuous sandy shoreline habitat adjacent to coastal dunefields. In contrast, Hypnea spicifera is genetically homogeneous throughout its range. In G. pristoides, the genetic breaks are associated with contemporary coastal dunefields. The age of the divergence event suggests that this may reflect the effect of older dispersal barriers, and that genetic structure was subsequently maintained by the formation of contemporary coastal dunefields.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
Intraspecific mitochondrial gene variation can be as low as that of nuclear rRNA:
- Authors: Matumba, Tshifhiwa G , Oliver, Jody , Barker, Nigel P , McQuaid, Christopher D , Teske, Peter R
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/160401 , vital:40442 , https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.23635.2
- Description: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has long been used to date historical demographic events. The idea that it is useful for molecular dating rests on the premise that its evolution is neutral. Even though this idea has long been challenged, the evidence against clock-like evolution of mtDNA is often ignored. Here, we present a particularly clear and simple example to illustrate the implications of violations of the assumption of selective neutrality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Modern supratidal microbialites fed by groundwater: functional drivers, value and trajectories
- Authors: Rishworth, Gavin M , Dodd, Carla , Perissinotto, Renzo , Bornman, Thomas G , Adams, Janine B , Anderson, Callum R , Cawthra, Hayley C , Dorrington, Hayley C , du Toit, Hendrik , Edworthy, Carla , Gibb, Ross-Lynne A , Human, Lucienne R D , Isemonger, Eric W , Lemley, David A , Miranda, Nelson A , Peer, Nasreen , Raw, Jacqueline L , Smith, Alan M , Steyn, Paul-Pierre , Strydom, Nadine A , Teske, Peter R , Welman, Peter R
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/426008 , vital:72306 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103364"
- Description: Microbial mats were the dominant habitat type in shallow marine environments between the Palaeoarchean and Phanerozoic. Many of these (termed ‘microbialites’) calcified as they grew but such lithified mats are rare along modern coasts for reasons such as unsuitable water chemistry, destructive metazoan influences and competition with other reef-builders such as corals or macroalgae. Nonetheless, extant microbialites occur in unique coastal ecosystems such as the Exuma Cays, Bahamas or Lake Clifton and Hamelin Pool, Australia, where limitations such as calcium carbonate availability or destructive bioturbation are diminished. Along the coast of South Africa, extensive distributions of living microbialites (including layered stromatolites) have been discovered and described since the early 2000s. Unlike the Bahamian and Australian ecosystems, the South African microbialites form exclusively in the supratidal coastal zone at the convergence of emergent groundwater seepage. Similar systems were documented subsequently in southwestern Australia, Northern Ireland and the Scottish Hebrides, as recently as 2018, revealing that supratidal microbialites have a global distribution. This review uses the best-studied formations to contextualise formative drivers and processes of these supratidal ecosystems and highlight their geological, ecological and societal relevance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Rejection of the genetic implications of the “Abundant Centre Hypothesis” in marine mussels
- Authors: Ntuli, Noxolo N , Nicastro, Katy R , Zardi, Gerardo I , Assis, Jorge , McQuaid, Christopher D , Teske, Peter R
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/444839 , vital:74302 , https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-57474-0
- Description: The ‘Abundant-Centre Hypothesis’ is a well-established but controversial hypothesis stating that the abundance of a species is highest at the centre of its range and decreases towards the edges, where conditions are unfavourable. As genetic diversity depends on population size, edge populations are expected to show lower intra-population genetic diversity than core populations, while showing high inter-population genetic divergence. Here, the genetic implications of the Abundant-Centre Hypothesis were tested on two coastal mussels from South Africa that disperse by means of planktonic larvae, the native Perna perna and the invasive Mytilus galloprovincialis. Genetic structure was found within P. perna, which, together with evidence from Lagrangian particle simulations, points to significant reductions in gene flow between sites. Despite this, the expected diversity pattern between centre and edge populations was not found for either species. We conclude that the genetic predictions of the Abundant-Centre Hypothesis are unlikely to be met by high-dispersal species with large population sizes, and may only become evident in species with much lower levels of connectivity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
The complete mitochondrial genome of Africa's largest freshwater copepod, Lovenula raynerae
- Authors: Jooste, Candice M , Emami-Khoyi, Arsalan , Gan, Han M , Wasserman, Ryan J , Dalu, Tatenda , Teske, Peter R
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/445151 , vital:74353 , https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2018.1555013
- Description: Lovenula raynerae is the largest known African freshwater copepod. To date, it has only been sampled from ephemeral freshwater ecosystems. This paper reports the complete mitochondrial genome of L. raynerae, which was found to be 14,365 bp long. A base composition of 33.5% base A, 19.3% base G, 34.6% base T, and 12.5% base C was found, with 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, and 2 rRNAs. This paper contributes to an improved understanding of phylogenetic relationships in an important crustacean group.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Ecological dominance along rocky shores, with a focus on intertidal ascidians
- Authors: Rius, Marc , Teske, Peter R , Manriquez, Patricio H , Suarez-Jimenez, Rocio , McQuaid, Christopher D
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/453416 , vital:75252 , ISBN 9781138197862 , https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.1201/b21944-4/ecological-dominance-along-rocky-shores-focus-intertidal-ascidians-marc-rius-peter-teske-patricio-manr%C3%ADquez-roc%C3%ADo-su%C3%A1rez-jim%C3%A9nez-christopher-mcquaid-juan-carlos-castilla?context=ubxandrefId=e4c0e0f7-2c0a-417f-8751-8225febf1536
- Description: The role of dominant species is of central importance in ecology. Such species play a key role in ecosystem structure, stability and function, regulating resource allocation across trophic levels and overall ecosystem productivity. Although ecological interactions between dominant and subordinate species are often considered to influence the latter negatively, the presence of dominant species can also be beneficial. These species commonly act as ecosystem engineers and enhance biodiversity by creating habitat for other species. Along rocky coastlines, dominant species are often sessile suspension-feeding organisms that can monopolize all available substrata. This is particularly noticeable in intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats where the number of species that achieve ecological dominance is limited. Here, we review the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that facilitate dominance along rocky coastlines. We then focus on a prominent example, the members of the Pyura stolonifera species complex (Tunicata), which are an emerging model system for studying ecological dominance. These ascidians achieve the highest biomass levels ever reported in rocky intertidal habitats and, when invasive, can fundamentally transform entire ecosystems. Finally, we discuss conservation implications and conclude with directions for future research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Evolution of foraging behaviour: Deep intra-generic genetic divergence between territorial and non-territorial southern African patellid limpets
- Authors: Mmonwa, Kolobe L , Teske, Peter R , McQuaid, Christopher D , Barker, Nigel P
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/444798 , vital:74299 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2017.05.024
- Description: Southern Africa is a biodiversity hotspot of patellid limpets, with three genera (Helcion, Cymbula and Scutellastra) identified and described in the region. Scutellastra is the most diverse and most frequently studied of these and, along with Cymbula, includes species with territorial and non-territorial foraging behaviours. We used three mitochondrial markers (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA and COI) and one nuclear marker (ATPSβ intron) to assess evolutionary relationships among species of Cymbula and Scutellastra with these two foraging behaviours and to identify which foraging mode is the more ancient. Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference phylogenetic analyses revealed that the species sharing a foraging type are monophyletic in both genera. Territoriality is a derived character, as the clades with this foraging type are nested within a tree that otherwise comprises non-territorial taxa. These include Helcion, which was recovered as sister to the Cymbula/Scutellastra clade, and the next basal genus, Patella, which is ancestral to all southern African patellogastropods. Deep genetic divergence between the two foraging traits reflects strong adaptive effects of resource partitioning in the evolution of southern African patellid limpets.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Life-histories explain the conservation status of two estuary-associated pipefishes
- Authors: Whitfield, Alan K , Mkare, Thomas K , Teske, Peter R , James, Nicola C , Cowley, Paul D
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/445087 , vital:74346 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.06.024
- Description: Two endemic southern African pipefish species (Teleostei: Syngnathidae) co-occur in estuaries on the southeast coast of South Africa. The larger longsnout pipefish, Syngnathus temminckii, is abundant and has a wide range that comprises coastal and estuarine habitats in all three of the region's marine biogeographic provinces. In contrast, the smaller estuarine pipefish S. watermeyeri is critically endangered, and confined to a few warm-temperate estuaries. Here, we explore reasons for these considerable differences in conservation status.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
A comparison of genetic structure in two low-dispersal crabs from the Wild Coast, South Africa
- Authors: Qhaji, Y , Jansen van Vuuren, Bettine , Papadopoulos, Isabelle , McQuaid, Christopher D , Teske, Peter R
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/444770 , vital:74297 , https://doi.org/10.2989/1814232X.2015.1077474
- Description: The Wild Coast in south-eastern South Africa is strongly influenced by the warm, southward-flowing Agulhas Current. This current has a significant impact on dispersal in the coastal biota of the region, and facilitates high levels of connectivity among populations. However, it is not known how the region's high-velocity hydrology affects genetic population structure in endemic estuarine species, populations of which are frequently isolated from the sea. Here, we compared genetic structure in two estuarine crabs of the family Hymenosomatidae. Both are presumed to have low dispersal potential, but they differ in terms of their life histories. Hymenosoma longicrure has abbreviated larval development and can complete its entire life cycle within estuaries, whereas Neorhynchoplax bovis is a direct developer that lacks planktonic larvae.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Contrasting signals of genetic diversity and historical demography between two recently diverged marine and estuarine fish species
- Authors: von Der Heyden, Sophie , Toms, Jessica A , Teske, Peter R , Lamberth, Stephen J , Holleman, Wouter
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/445611 , vital:74407 , https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11191
- Description: Estuaries, at the confluence of marine and freshwater systems, are mostly of geologically recent origin and as such make excellent models for understanding recent speciation events. Using molecular approaches, we compared genetic diversity and demographic histories in 2 closely related southern African klipfish species, the marine Clinus superciliosus and the estuarine C. spatulatus. Strong genetic differentiation was identified using both mtDNA control region and nDNA S7 sequencing, despite some haplotype sharing. Coalescent-based modelling suggests that species divergence occurred during the Late Pleistocene or, more likely, during the Early Holocene, when present-day estuaries formed. Analyses of population demography suggest that C. superciliosus has undergone historical population expansion, whereas C. spatulatus is characterized by a population decline, potentially driven by repeated cycles of population crashes linked to the opening and closing of estuarine systems. This is also reflected in values of genetic diversity, which are almost an order of magnitude lower in the estuarine than in the marine species. Given the unique evolutionary history of C. spatulatus, a species that is restricted to only 2 South African estuaries, we highlight the need for a better understanding of the processes that have shaped the evolution of estuarine populations. The identification of unique genetic lineages in estuaries can help to better guide conservation and management efforts for some of South Africa’s most fragile habitats.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2015
Historical demography of southern African patellid limpets: congruence of population expansions, but not phylogeography
- Authors: Mmonwa, Kolobe L , Teske, Peter R , McQuaid, Christopher D , Barker, Nigel P
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/444814 , vital:74300 , https://doi.org/10.2989/1814232X.2015.1009165
- Description: Global climatic oscillations have shaped the contemporary genetic structure of marine taxa in different ways. Previous demographic studies have indicated that various intertidal marine species display genetic signatures of demographic expansion that either pre- or postdate the Last Glacial Maximum. Such expansions and the ability of species to colonise new habitats will influence their genetic structure, but the link between scales of larval dispersal and the strength of phylogeographic structure is not always clear. We analysed a fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene of 11 sympatric species of intertidal southern African patellid limpets to investigate how ancient oceanographic dynamics have shaped and maintained their contemporary spatial genetic variation. Our data show that the patellid limpets investigated display congruent evidence of spatial expansion during the Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene, which corresponds with the establishment of the contemporary southern African shoreline. We argue that closely related and co-distributed southern African intertidal invertebrates responded to ancient climatic oscillations as a cohesive group. In contrast, contemporary oceanographic circulation has shaped the phylogeographic patterns of these limpets in different ways. We show close relationships between phylogeography and biogeography for some species, but not for others, despite the similarities in their life histories and exposure to the same climatic changes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
The subspecies of Antarctic Terns (Sterna vittata) wintering on the South African coast: evidence from morphology, genetics and stable isotopes
- Authors: Connan, Maëlle , Teske, Peter R , Tree, Anthony J , Whittington, Philip A , McQuaid, Christopher D
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/444854 , vital:74303 , https://doi.org/10.1071/MU14089
- Description: Five to seven subspecies of Antarctic Tern (Sterna vittata) are recognised, with at least three (S. v. vittata, S. v. tristanensis and S. v. sanctipauli) wintering in South Africa. Morphological characters used to define these subspecies are not perfectly reliable, but fidelity to nesting site suggests they could be genetically distinct. We used morphological data and DNA to investigate the validity of subspecies. We further used stable isotope analysis of feather samples collected from the non-breeding grounds in South Africa to attempt to ascertain the population of origin. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data identified two major genetic clades: one mostly comprised individuals partially or completely matching the morphological description of S. v. tristanensis, the other included individuals from S. v. vittata and S. v. sanctipauli. Stable isotope values indicated that juveniles originated from at least three populations. Irrespective of their morphological and genetic characteristics, most immatures moulted in Antarctic waters, and adults moulted in various habitats. Their colony of origin could not therefore be inferred from stable isotope values from feathers. Results indicate that morphological groupings may reflect a north-south cline across the Indian Ocean. Adequate conservation strategies require rigorous reassessment of the currently accepted subspecies, including DNA analyses of samples from the breeding grounds, particularly on Amsterdam and St Paul Islands.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Mitonuclear discordance in genetic structure across the Atlantic/Indian Ocean biogeographical transition zone
- Authors: Teske, Peter R , Papadopoulos, Isabelle , Barker, Nigel P , McQuaid, Christopher D , Beheregaray, Luciano B
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/444832 , vital:74301 , https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.1220
- Description: Based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data, many organisms with ranges spanning multiple biogeographical regions exhibit genetic structure across the transition zones between these regions, while others appear to be genetically homogenous. No clear link has been found between the presence or absence of such spatial genetic discontinuities and species' dispersal potential, confounding the formulation of general predictions concerning genetic structure. The fact that discrepancies between mtDNA and nuclear markers are common across semi‐permeable barriers suggests that a lack of structure could be attributable to mtDNA‐specific properties of inheritance. We re‐examined genetic structure in the coastal crab Hymenosoma orbiculare, a species that is represented by a single mtDNA lineage across the Atlantic/Indian Ocean biogeographical transition zone, by comparing mtDNA data with nuclear DNA data.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Dispersal barriers and stochastic reproductive success do not explain small-scale genetic structure in a broadcast spawning marine mussel
- Authors: Teske, Peter R , Papadopoulos, Isabelle , Barker, Nigel P , McQuaid, Christopher D
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/445577 , vital:74403 , https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10230
- Description: Small-scale genetic heterogeneity in marine broadcast spawners is often attributed either to physical factors that constrain larval dispersal or to stochasticity in reproductive success. In females of the mussel Perna perna, it has been attributed to asymmetrical levels of gene flow between bays and the open coast, with bays acting as sources of propagules. If nearshore currents are an important feature constraining dispersal, then genetic heterogeneity should also be identified in other coastal invertebrates with similar dispersal potential, and the amount of genetic structure in adults and juveniles should be similar, whereas temporal changes in reproductive success should manifest themselves in lower genetic diversity of juveniles. We compared sequence data of female P. perna with that of males, juveniles and 3 sympatric marine invertebrates. Congruent genetic structure was only found in a direct developer, suggesting that the region’s oceanography does not have a strong structuring effect on species that, like female P. perna, have a planktonic dispersal phase. Furthermore, lack of genetic structure in male and juvenile P. perna indicates that there are no physical barriers that reduce larval exchange. Stochastic reproductive success is also an unlikely explanation for genetic structure in P. perna because levels of genetic diversity are similar in adults and juveniles. Together with the recent finding that the sex ratio in P. perna is skewed toward males, particularly at exposed coastal sites, these results point to a role for selection in driving genetic structure between bays and coastal habitats by eliminating a large proportion of adult females from the open coast.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2013
Identification of a uniquely southern African clade of coastal pipefishes Syngnathus spp.
- Authors: Mwale, Monica , Kaiser, Horst , Barker, Nigel P , Wilson, A B , Teske, Peter R
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/445499 , vital:74393 , https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.12130
- Description: The taxonomic status of two southern African coastal pipefish species, Syngnathus temminckii and Syngnathus watermeyeri, was investigated using a combination of morphological and genetic data. Morphological data showed that S. temminckii is distinct from the broadly distributed European pipefish Syngnathus acus, and a molecular phylogeny reconstructed using mitochondrial DNA recovered S. temminckii and S. watermeyeri as sister taxa. The southern African species share an evolutionary origin with north‐eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea species, including S. acus. These data support the existence of a distinct southern African clade of Syngnathus pipefishes that has diverged in situ to form the two species present in the region today.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Two sides of the same coin: extinctions and originations across the Atlantic/Indian Ocean boundary as consequences of the same climate oscillation
- Authors: Teske, Peter R , Zardi, Gerardo I , McQuaid, Christopher D , Nicastro, Katy R
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/445547 , vital:74399 , https://doi.org/10.21425/F5FBG15591
- Description: Global climate change is correlated not only with variation in extinction rates, but also with speciation rates. However, few mechanisms have been proposed to explain how climate change may have driven the emergence of new evolutionary lineages that eventually became distinct species. Here, we discuss a model of range extension followed by divergence, in which the same climate oscillations that resulted in the extinction of coastal species across the Atlantic/Indian Ocean boundary in southwestern Africa also sowed the seeds of new biodiversity. We present evidence for range extensions and evolutionary divergence from both fossil and genetic data, but also point out the many challenges to the model that need to be addressed before its validity can be accepted.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Mitochondrial DNA paradox: sex-specific genetic structure in a marine mussel despite maternal inheritance and passive dispersal
- Authors: Teske, Peter R , Papadopoulos, Isabelle , Barker, Nigel P , McQuaid, Christopher D
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6836 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1010959
- Description: Background: When genetic structure is identified using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), but no structure is identified using biparentally-inherited nuclear DNA, the discordance is often attributed to differences in dispersal potential between the sexes. Results: We sampled the intertidal rocky shore mussel Perna perna in a South African bay and along the nearby open coast, and sequenced maternally-inherited mtDNA (there is no evidence for paternally-inherited mtDNA in this species) and a biparentally-inherited marker. By treating males and females as different populations, we identified significant genetic structure on the basis of mtDNA data in the females only. Conclusions: This is the first study to report sex-specific differences in genetic structure based on matrilineally-inherited mtDNA in a passively dispersing species that lacks social structure or sexual dimorphism. The observed pattern most likely stems from females being more vulnerable to selection in habitats from which they did not originate, which also manifests itself in a male-biased sex ratio. Our results have three important implications for the interpretation of population genetic data. First, even when mtDNA is inherited exclusively in the female line, it also contains information about males. For that reason, using it to identify sex-specific differences in genetic structure by contrasting it with biparentally-inherited markers is problematic. Second, the fact that sex-specific differences were found in a passively dispersing species in which sex-biased dispersal is unlikely highlights the fact that significant genetic structure is not necessarily a function of low dispersal potential or physical barriers. Third, even though mtDNA is typically used to study historical demographic processes, it also contains information about contemporary processes. Higher survival rates of males in non-native habitats can erase the genetic structure present in their mothers within a single generation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
"Nested" cryptic diversity in a widespread marine ecosystem engineer: a challenge for detecting biological invasions
- Authors: Teske, Peter R , Ruis, Marc , McQuaid, Christopher D , Styan, Craig A , Piggott, Maxine P , Benhissoune, Saïd , Fuentes-Grünewald, Claudio , Walls, Kathy , Page, Mike , Attard, Catherine R M , Cooke, Georgina M , McClusky, Claire F , Banks, Sam C , Barker, Nigel P , Beheregaray, Luciano B
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/445529 , vital:74396 , https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-11-176
- Description: Ecosystem engineers facilitate habitat formation and enhance biodiversity, but when they become invasive, they present a critical threat to native communities because they can drastically alter the receiving habitat. Management of such species thus needs to be a priority, but the poorly resolved taxonomy of many ecosystem engineers represents a major obstacle to correctly identifying them as being either native or introduced. We address this dilemma by studying the sea squirt Pyura stolonifera, an important ecosystem engineer that dominates coastal communities particularly in the southern hemisphere. Using DNA sequence data from four independently evolving loci, we aimed to determine levels of cryptic diversity, the invasive or native status of each regional population, and the most appropriate sampling design for identifying the geographic ranges of each evolutionary unit.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011