Global and New Caledonian patterns of population genetic variation in the deep-sea splendid alfonsino, Beryx splendens, inferred from mtDNA

Abstract

Splendid alfonsino Beryx splendens is a commercial species in several countries, but is not currently exploited in New Caledonia. Information on species biology and genetics can influence the development of fisheries and assist in their management, but the genetic structuring and diversity of B. splendens populations remain largely unknown. To improve knowledge of genetic parameters, we used mitochondrial DNA sequences to conduct a comparative study of populations from throughout the world. Fragments of 815 bp of cytochrome b gene were sequenced and used to interpret the species history. We analyzed 204 individuals representing 14 geographical populations worldwide. A special focus was put on populations from New Caledonia. Analysis of variation between sequences, based on pairwise F statistics and AMOVA, demonstrated a population subdivision between the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans (Fst = 0.11-0.32; P < 0.05). Minimum-spanning network analysis revealed a mainly star-shaped pattern, with two lineages that may represent population expansion following a bottleneck/founder event and/or suggest colonization by migratory events over large distances. Our observations demonstrated that the species seems to follow the oceanic currents. Analysis of the nucleotide sequences revealed 122 variable sites, which defined numerous haplotypes, some associated with particular geographical regions. These data suggest an extremely high intra-specific genetic diversity, even at small scales. Focusing on the New Caledonia area, statistical analysis did not reveal sub-structuring among samples, suggesting again that at least a fraction of individuals migrate. No significant isolation by distance pattern was observed in this species (R = -0.22; P = 0.79) among seamount populations in the EEZ.

Population genetic structure of Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) in the Southeast Pacific and Southwest Atlantic Ocean

“…In broadly distributed benthopelagic fishes, considerable gene flow has been reported among populations. Scarce genetic divergence is therefore mainly the result of the availability and continuity of their habitats (e.g., slopes of continents slopes, oceanic islands, and seamounts), facilitating gene flow ( Smith & Gaffney, 2005 ; Jones et al, 2008 ; Lévy-Hartmann et al, 2011 ; Varela, Ritchie & Smith, 2012 ). In addition, biological features such as vagile and/or pelagic adults and long-duration planktonic eggs, larvae and/or juvenile stages are associated with low intraspecific genetic differentiation ( Shaw, Arkhipkin & Al-Khairulla, 2004 ; Rogers et al, 2006 ).…”

“…In addition, biological features such as vagile and/or pelagic adults and long-duration planktonic eggs, larvae and/or juvenile stages are associated with low intraspecific genetic differentiation ( Shaw, Arkhipkin & Al-Khairulla, 2004 ; Rogers et al, 2006 ). For example, gene flow has been reported in Chaenocephalus aceratus , Notothenia coriiceps , and Lepidonotothen larseni distributed in the Southern Ocean ( Jones et al, 2008 ), as well as in Dissostichus mawsoni ( Smith & Gaffney, 2005 ), and even in cosmopolitan species from seamounts such as Hoplostethus atlanticus ( Varela, Ritchie & Smith, 2012 ), and Beryx splendens ( Lévy-Hartmann et al, 2011 ).…”

Reproductive characteristics of the fishery important temperate demersal berycid Centroberyx gerrardi indicate greater reproductive output in regions of upwelling

“…Molecular studies indicate that C. gerrardi comprises a single genetic stock across the study region, demonstrating mixing across that range (DPIRD unpublished data), likely linked with high levels of egg/larval dispersal. This is the case with C. affinis in waters of south‐eastern Australia (Smith, ), and their confamilials B. splendens and B. decadactylus in the western South Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, respectively (Friess & Sedberry, ,; Lehodey et al., ; Lévy‐Hartmann, Roussel, Letourneur & Sellos, ). Based on this assumption, the extent of self‐recruitment of C. gerrardi to the Capes would be influenced by inter‐annual variation in the strength of the inshore northward‐flowing Capes Current (CC) during summer to mid‐autumn and the competing effects of the timing/strength of the prevailing LC.…”

Speciation patterns in gastropods with long‐lived larvae from deep‐sea seamounts

“…; Lévy‐Hartmann et al . ), each distributed over the seamounts of the New Caledonian EEZ. At a larger spatial scale, the gastropod Sassia remensa , with a long‐lived planktonic‐feeding larvae, displayed no genetic structure among seamounts of the Lord Howe and Norfolk ridges, which are separated by hundreds of kilometres (Castelin et al .…”