Genomic signatures of rapid adaptive evolution in the bluespotted cornetfish, a Mediterranean Lessepsian invader

Abstract

Biological invasions are increasingly creating ecological and economical problems both on land and in aquatic environments. For over a century, the Mediterranean Sea has steadily been invaded by Indian Ocean/Red Sea species (called Lessepsian invaders) via the Suez Canal, with a current estimate of ~450 species. The bluespotted cornetfish, Fistularia commersonii, considered a 'Lessepsian sprinter', entered the Mediterranean in 2000 and by 2007 had spread through the entire basin from Israel to Spain. The situation is unique and interesting both because of its unprecedented rapidity and by the fact that it took this species c. 130 years to immigrate into the Mediterranean. Using genome scans, with restriction site-associated DNA (RAD) sequencing, we evaluated neutral and selected genomic regions for Mediterranean vs. Red Sea cornetfish individuals. We found that few fixed neutral changes were detectable among populations. However, almost half of the genes associated with the 47 outlier loci (potentially under selection) were related to disease resistance and osmoregulation. Due to the short time elapsed from the beginning of the invasion to our sampling, we interpret these changes as signatures of rapid adaptation that may be explained by several mechanisms including preadaptation and strong local selection. Such genomic regions are therefore good candidates to further study their role in invasion success.

Tethyan closure drove tropical marine biodiversity: Vicariant diversification of intertidal crustaceans

“…The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 created the current saltwater passage between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. The new dispersal route has been considered an important pathway for biological invasions, usually from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea (Bernardi, Azzurro, Golani, & Miller, ; Golani et al., ; Por, ). Due to a lack of samples around the Red Sea and east Mediterranean Sea, it is difficult to determine whether migration occurs in Talorchestia sensu lato from the current research.…”

Sex matters: Otolith shape and genomic variation in deacon rockfish (Sebastes diaconus)

“…The advent of high-throughput sequencing methods has significantly increased the amount of data and the resolution of genetic insight for fisheries management in other species (Hauser & Carvalho, 2008;Kumar & Kocour, 2017;Riginos, Crandall, Liggins, Bongaerts, & Treml, 2016;Valenzuela-Quiñonez, 2016). Many studies have attempted to identify neutral and adaptive genetic variation (e.g., Gagnaire et al, 2015;Nielsen, Hemmer-Hansen, Foged Larsen, & Bekkevold, 2009;Ovenden et al, 2015;Valenzuela-Quiñonez, 2016), which has improved the delineation of populations and fish stocks in both migratory species such as Greenland halibut Reinhardtius hippoglossoides (Walbaum, 1792) (Westgaard et al, 2017) and European hake Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758) (Milano et al, 2014), and sedentary species such as bluespotted Cornetfish Fistularia commersonii Rüppell, 1838 (Bernardi, Azzurro, Golani, & Miller, 2016). Typically, neutral genetic variation reflects stochastic genetic drift and the degree of gene flow among populations, whereas adaptive variation suggests selective differences among populations (Funk, McKay, Hohenlohe, & Allendorf, 2012).…”

The arrival of a second ‘Lessepsian sprinter’? A first record of the red cornetfish Fistularia petimba in the Eastern Mediterranean

“…Pelvic-fin rays 6 founding invading individuals and invasion events, may greatly influence the establishment success of any alien species (Sakai et al, 2001;Keller & Taylor, 2008;Bernardi et al, 2016). Considering the remarkable invasion success of F. commersonii in the Mediterranean and its biological and ecological similarities with F. petimba in both prey and habitat preferences (Froese & Pauly, 2017), we assume the latter has the same capabilities to quickly sprawl throughout the eastern Mediterranean waters.…”

“…Recorded in the beginning of the millennium (Golani 2000), with a seemingly 'unsuccessful' invasion event in 1975 (Bariche et al, 2013), F. commersonii has managed to colonize the entire Mediterranean Sea in less than a decade, with an average invasiveness momentum of more than 1,000 km per year , thereby justifying the title of 'Lessepsian sprinter' (Karachle et al, 2004). Such extraordinary invasion alacrity has granted F. commersonii extensive scientific attention (Kalogirou et al, 2007;Sanna et al, 2011;Azzurro et al, 2013;Bernardi et al, 2016;).…”