Historical population dynamics and demography of the eastern Atlantic pomacentrid Chromis limbata (Valenciennes, 1833)

Abstract

Recent studies have focused on the relationship between the marine fauna of the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, but within the Atlantic, little is known about genetic relationships between populations of the Macaronesian islands. In this study, we tested whether the paleo-climatology and paleo-oceanography of the region could predict the genetic relationships among three eastern Atlantic populations (Azores, Madeira, and Canaries) of a damselWsh, Chromis limbata, and compared our results with its Mediterranean and adjacent Atlantic sister species, Chromis chromis. We combined phylogeographic and coalescent approaches using the fast evolving mitochondrial control region gene. No population structure was found for the three archipelagos. The coalescence time estimated for C. limbata (0.857-1.17 Mya) was much greater than that estimated for C. chromis. We propose that this diVerence reXects diVerences in glaciating extents in the Northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Diversity indexes (Hd and genetic distances) together with historical demographic parameters of C. limbata ( and g) revealed a more stable population history when compared to C. chromis. Our results suggest that the Macaronesian populations of C. limbata have probably been less aVected by the last glaciation than the Mediterranean populations of C. chromis. Migration across the three archipelagos was estimated and a prevailing northwest trend was detected. This result supports the idea of a colonization of the Azores by warm water Wsh from Madeira or the westernmost Canary islands which acted as major glacial refugia for the tropical and subtropical marine fauna during the glaciations.

Phylogeography and demographic history of Atherina presbyter (Pisces: Atherinidae) in the North-eastern Atlantic based on mitochondrial DNA

“…In agreement with this climatic history, the majority of the studies found evidence of Pleistocene bottlenecks that were likely caused by periods of strong ocean cooling (e.g. Consuegra et al 2002;Domingues et al 2006Domingues et al , 2007bDomingues et al , 2008Mäkinen and Merilä 2008). However, populations of diVerent species vary in their phylogeographic patterns and we are still far from a comprehensive picture of the evolution of the western European marine icthyofauna during the Pleistocene.…”

Diversity patterns and zoogeography of the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean shallow-water sponge fauna

“…While most studies have supported the southern refugia hypothesis for the Mediterranean, Iberian Peninsula and Macaronesian islands (e.g. Chevolot et al, 2006;Domingues et al, 2006Domingues et al, , 2007aDomingues et al, , b, 2008, others have shown that some populations may have persisted in northern periglacial (1981) refugia (e.g. Provan et al, 2005;Hoarau et al, 2007).…”

Phylogenetic relationships of the North-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean forms of Atherina (Pisces, Atherinidae)

“…In West Africa, Madeira and part of the Canaries, as well as in pockets within the Mediterranean, warmer waters persisted, which caused vicariant speciation of many species pairs, with one member in West African Macaronesia and the other in the Mediterranean (e.g. Domingues et al, 2006). It is likely that A. hepsetus is a Mediterranean derivative of a mainly Atlantic stock, an interpretation favoured by the much higher genetic diversity of A. presbyter when compared with A. hepsetus.…”