A novel mitochondrial tRNA gene arrangement is described for two species of sea cucumber. The mitochondrial tRNA gene cluster common to sea stars, sea urchins, and the sea cucumber Parastichopus californicus has been significantly modified in the genus Cucumaria as a result of dispersal of the tRNA genes into two separate areas of the genome. The tRNA genes in the novel clusters are interspersed with short unassigned sequences (UASs). Alignment of the two separated novel clusters indicates that the rearrangement was most likely the result of a tandem duplication of approximately 7 kb, encompassing the putative control region, the tRNA cluster, NADH dehydrogenase subunits 1 and 2, the large ribosomal RNA (lrRNA), cytochrome oxidase subunit I, and tRNAArg. Subsequently, deletion of the duplicated lrRNA and protein-coding genes occurred. In addition, the degeneration of one of each of the duplicated tRNA gene pairs has resulted in the interspersed UAS segments observed in each cluster. In contrast, the second copy of the putative control region has been maintained with a very high degree of sequence conservation, suggesting either some functional constraint or concerted evolution for the duplicated element. Analysis of gene organization in other sea cucumber species may provide (1) important insights into the mechanism of mitochondrial gene rearrangements and (2) an informative character set for deep-level phylogenetic analysis of this echinoderm class.

Giant Amazon river turtles, Podocnemis expansa, are indigenous to the Amazon, Orinoco, and Essequibo River basins, and are distributed across nearly the entire width of the South American continent. Although once common, their large size, high fecundity, and gregarious nesting, made P. expansa especially vulnerable to over-harvesting for eggs and meat. Populations have been severely reduced or extirpated in many areas throughout its range, and the species is now regulated under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Here, we analyse data from mitochondrial DNA sequence and multiple nuclear microsatellite markers with an array of complementary analytical methods. Results show that concordance from multiple data sets and analyses can provide a strong signal of population genetic structure that can be used to guide management. The general lack of phylogeographic structure but large differences in allele and haplotype frequencies among river basins is consistent with fragmented populations and female natal-river homing. Overall, the DNA data show that P. expansa populations lack a long history of genetic differentiation, but that each major tributary currently forms a semi-isolated reproductive population and should be managed accordingly.

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Previous analyses have demonstrated that, among the echinoderms, the sea star (class: Asteroidea) mitochondrial genome contains a large inversion in comparison to the mitochondrial DNA of sea urchins (class: Echinoidea). Polymerase chain reaction amplification, DNA cloning, and sequencing have been used to examine the relationships of the brittle stars (class: Ophiuroidea) and sea cucumbers (class: Holothuroidea) to the sea stars and sea urchins. The DNA sequence of the regions spanning potential inversion junctions in both brittle stars and sea cucumbers has been determined. This study has also revealed a highly modified tRNA cluster in the ophiuroid mitochondrial genome. Our data indicate mitochondrial gene arrangement patterns that group the sea cucumbers with sea urchins and sea stars with brittle stars. This use of molecular characters clarifies the relationships among these classes.

The population structure of two species of sea cucumber was examined based on mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis. Cucumaria miniata, a species with pelagic nonfeeding larvae lasting less than 2 weeks, and C. pseudocurata, a brooding species lacking a pelagic phase, both occur over similar wide ranges of the northeastern Pacific between Alaska and California. No significant genetic structuring was observed among C. miniata samples with 95% of the observed nucleotide variance attributable to that within population samples. Conversely, only 3.4% of the observed variance was attributed to that within C. pseudocurata population samples, with sampling sites typically greater than 100 km apart. At a finer scale, two C. pseudocurata population samples taken 5 km apart were not statistically different. A significant genetic disjunction was observed among populations of the brooding species, but not in species with pelagic larvae, north of Vancouver Island, Canada, corresponding to the splitting of the California and Alaska currents. Given the observed high levels of genetic diversity in northern samples, this genetic break indicates survival in northern, as well as southern, Pleistocene refugia. These results clearly demonstrate the effects that changes in life‐history patterns can have on dispersal, population structure, and the potential for speciation events.