Community structure and population genetics of Eastern Mediterranean polychaetes

Abstract

Species and genetic diversity are often found to co-vary since they are influenced by external factors in similar ways. In this paper, we analyse the genetic differences of the abundant polychaete Hermodice carunculata (Pallas, 1766) during two successive years at two locations in northern Crete (Aegean Sea) and compare them to other populations in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The genetic analysis is combined with an analysis of ecological divergence of the total polychaete community structure (beta diversity) at these locations. The phylogenetic analysis of all included H. carunculata populations revealed two main clades, one exclusively found in the Mediterranean and a second occurring in both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Genetic diversity indices reveal unexpectedly high differences between the two Cretan populations, despite the absence of apparent oceanographic barriers. A similarly high divergence, represented by a high beta diversity index, was observed between the polychaete communities at the two locations. This comparatively high divergence of the genetic structure of a dominant species and the total polychaete community might be explained by the strong influence of local environmental factors as well as inter-specific interactions between the dominance of a single species and the members of the community.

Population structure of the fireworm Hermodice carunculata in the wider Caribbean, Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea

“…We investigated the genetic diversity, effective number of migrants and population structure of H. carunculata populations collected from three regions: the Caribbean, the temperate eastern Atlantic (Tenerife of Canary Islands) and the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Malta and the Greek islands of Crete and Ikaria). Since samples were collected over a wide geographic range, we expected to find significant sequence divergence in H. carunculata as previously reported by Ahrens et al (2013) and Chatzigeorgiou et al (2014). Indeed, data from two mitochondrial markers indicated that there is a 2-2.5% divergence between the amphiatlantic populations of H. carunculata, confirming our expectations.…”

“…Almost all sequences were sequenced with the forward primer after preliminary sequencing with both primers yielding high-quality DNA traces. In the analysis, we included additional publicly available COI sequences from Ahrens et al (2013;KC017475-KC017594) and from Chatzigeorgiou et al (2014;KF878397-KF878476) to increase our geographic coverage. For example, in the Mediterranean COI data set, we have included our own sequences from Greece, as well as those sequences from Crete (Greece) from both Ahrens et al (2013) and Chatzigeorgiou et al (2014), and those from Malta (Ahrens et al, 2013).…”

Polychaetes of Greece: an updated and annotated checklist

“…Ahrens et al (2013) found no genetic differences between Hermodice carunculata populations of the Caribbean and the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean and placed Hermodice nigrolineata again into synonymy with Hermodice carunculata . The findings of Chatzigeorgiou et al (2014) concerning the phylogenetic relationships of the eastern Mediterranean populations of Hermodice carunculata support the results of Ahrens et al (2013).…”

New Evidence of Marine Fauna Tropicalization off the Southwestern Iberian Peninsula (Southwest Europe)

“…The bearded fireworm is widely distributed in the Atlantic Ocean from the Caribbean to the Macaronesian islands, as well as in the Mediterranean and Red seas [20]. It is a voracious and generalist omnivorous species, preying mainly on anemones, gorgonians, and milleporid hydrocorals [31,32]. This species may pose public health risks if it becomes abundant off the Algarve coast, since its calcareous chaetae induce intense pain, inflammation, and edema when they come into contact with human skin.…”