10 research outputs found
Phylogeography of the veined squid, Loligo forbesii, in European waters
The veined squid, Loligo forbesii Steenstrup, 1856, occurs at the European Shelf areas including the
Azores and represents a valuable resource for the European commercial fishery in the North East
Atlantic. However, very little is known about its population structure and phylogeography. This lack
of knowledge also impedes the development of sustainable fishery management for this species. The
present study combined the use of two types of markers that retrieve patterns of gene flow in different
time spans; the analysis of 16 nuclear microsatellites and sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome
oxidase subunit I (COI). Whereas the high mutation rate of microsatellites allows the description of
recent patterns of connectivity in species, the lower mutation rate of COI provides phylogeographic
patterns on a longer timescale. A total of 347 individuals of L. forbesii were investigated from nearly
the entire distribution range of the species, including the North East Atlantic Shelf, the Azores and
the Mediterranean. Individuals from the Western and Eastern Mediterranean Sea have never been
included in a genetic study before. We were able to analyse COI sequences from all 12 sampling areas
and define three clades of L. forbesii. Due to our large sampling area, we are presenting 13 COIhaplotypes
that were previously unknown. The microsatellite analysis does not include the Azores
but three main clades could be identified at the remaining 11 sampling sites. Low FST
values indicate
gene flow over large geographical distances. However, the genetically significant differences and an
additional slight grouping in the microsatellite structure reveal that geographical barriers seem to
influence the population structure and reduce gene flow. Furthermore, both markers provide strong
evidence that the observed phylogeographic pattern reflects the geographical history of the Azores
and the Mediterranean Sea.Postprin
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Food webs under changing biodiversity - Top-down control
Report on effects of changing predation pressure on benthic and pelagic specie