Abstract
Factors such as oceanographic retention, isolation by distance and secondary
contact zones have, among others, been suggested to explain the low, but
statistically significant, neutral population structure observed in many marine
fishes. European sprat Sprattus sprattus L. is not known to display philopatric
spawning behaviour or to exhibit local retention of eggs and larvae. It thus
constitutes a good model for studying population structure in a characteristic
small pelagic fish with high dispersal potential and an opportunistic life history.
We analysed 931 specimens of sprat from 9 spawning locations in and around the
North Sea and Baltic Sea area and from a geographically distant population from
the Adriatic Sea. Analyses of 9 microsatellite loci revealed a sharp genetic division
separating samples from the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea
(pairwise θ = 0.019 to 0.035), concurring with a steep salinity gradient. We found,
at most, weak structure among samples within the northeastern Atlantic region
and within the Baltic Sea (pairwise θ = 0.001 to 0.009). The Adriatic Sea
population was highly differentiated from all northern samples (pairwise θ = 0.071
to 0.092). Overall, the observed population structure resembles that of most other
marine fishes studied in the North and Baltic Sea areas. Nevertheless, spatially
explicit differences are observed among species, probably reflecting specific life
histories. Such fine-scale population structures should be taken into account
when considering complex ecosystem functions, e.g. in multispecies stock
management.
Keywords:
European sprat,
Population structure,
Environmental gradients,
Interspecific comparison,
Salinity,
Marine fishes,
Microsatellite DNA
http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps07889
Notes
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- Limborg MT, Pedersen JS, Hemmer-Hansen J, Tomkiewicz J & Bekkevold D
(2009) "Genetic population structure of European sprat Sprattus sprattus:
differentiation across a steep environmental gradient in a small pelagic fish"
Mar Ecol Prog Ser 379:213-224
[notes]
http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps07889
Limborg et al (2009)
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