Mitochondrial DNA differentiation in North Atlantic eels: Population genetic consequences of an unusual life history pattern

Avise, John C.; Helfman, Gene S.; Saunders, Nancy C.; Hales, L. Stanton

doi:10.1073/pnas.83.12.4350

Cited by 242 publications

(137 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…This hypothesis is supported by early genetic studies using allozyme and mitochondrial DNA markers (DeLigny & Pantelouris 1973;Comparini et al 1977;Comparini & Rodinò 1980;Yahyaoui et al 1983;Lintas et al 1998), which found no evidence for a spatial genetic structure. Similar results were obtained for the American eel (A. rostrata; Avise et al 1986) and the Japanese eel (A. japonica; Sang et al 1994), with the exception of clinal allozyme variation putatively imposed by selection (Williams et al 1973;Koehn & Williams 1978;Chan et al 1997). Therefore, panmixia in the European eel was widely accepted until three independent genetic studies recently reported evidence for a weak but significant population structure (Daemen et al 2001;Wirth & Bernatchez 2001;Maes & Volckaert 2002), with two of them finding evidence for isolation-by-distance (IBD) (Wirth & Bernatchez 2001;Maes & Volckaert 2002).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Panmixia in the European eel: a matter of time…

et al. 2005

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The European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) has been a prime example of the panmixia paradigm because of its extraordinary adaptation to the North Atlantic gyral system, semelparous spawning in the Sargasso Sea and long trans-oceanic migration. Recently, this view was challenged by the suggestion of a genetic structure characterized by an isolation-by-distance (IBD) pattern. This is only likely if spawning subpopulations are spatially and/or temporally separated, followed by non-random larval dispersal. A limitation of previous genetic work on eels is the lack of replication over time to test for temporal stability of genetic structure. Here, we hypothesize that temporal genetic variation plays a significant role in explaining the spatial structure reported earlier for this species. We tested this by increasing the texture of geographical sampling and by including temporal replicates. Overall genetic differentiation among samples was low, highly significant and comparable with earlier studies (F ST Z0.0014; p!0.01). On the other hand, and in sharp contrast with current understandings, hierarchical analyses revealed no significant inter-location genetic heterogeneity and hence no IBD. Instead, genetic variation among temporal samples within sites clearly exceeded the geographical component. Our results provide support for the panmixia hypothesis and emphasize the importance of temporal replication when assessing population structure of marine fish species.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Panmixia in the European eel: a matter of time…

et al. 2005

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“…Molecular studies in both species have demonstrated that they are panmictic Côté et al, 2013). Remarkably, although mitochondrial DNA lineages of the two species are reciprocally monophyletic (Avise et al, 1986), low differentation is found at microsatellite loci, with F ST values of 0.055 and 0.018 reported in previous studies (Mank and Avise, 2003;Wirth and Bernatchez, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Assessing patterns of hybridization between North Atlantic eels using diagnostic single-nucleotide polymorphisms

et al. 2014

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The two North Atlantic eel species, the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) and the American eel (Anguilla rostrata), spawn in partial sympatry in the Sargasso Sea, providing ample opportunity to interbreed. In this study, we used a RAD (Restriction site Associated DNA) sequencing approach to identify species-specific diagnostic single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and design a low-density array that combined with screening of a diagnostic mitochondrial DNA marker. Eels from Iceland (N ¼ 159) and from the neighboring Faroe Islands (N ¼ 29) were genotyped, along with 94 larvae (49 European and 45 American eel) collected in the Sargasso Sea. Our SNP survey showed that the majority of Icelandic eels are pure European eels but there is also an important contribution of individuals of admixed ancestry (10.7%). Although most of the hybrids were identified as F1 hybrids from European eel female Â American eel male crosses, backcrosses were also detected, including a first-generation backcross (F1 hybrid Â pure European eel) and three individuals identified as second-generation backcrosses originating from American eel Â F1 hybrid backcrosses interbreeding with pure European eels. In comparison, no hybrids were observed in the Faroe Islands, the closest bodies of land to Iceland. It is possible that hybrids show an intermediate migratory behaviour between the two parental species that ultimately brings hybrid larvae to the shores of Iceland, situated roughly halfway between the Sargasso Sea and Europe. Only two hybrids were observed among Sargasso Sea larvae, both backcrosses, but no F1 hybrids, that points to temporal variation in the occurrence of hybridization.

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“…We know, however, that species and populations vary in tolerance, plasticity, adaptive potential, and biotic interactions, all of which mediate responses to environmental variation (15)(16)(17) and ultimately dictate the degree of spatial and temporal concordance in genetic structure. The early definition of phylogeographic response categories acknowledged that differences could stem from species-specific traits such as dispersal potential and life history (1,18). Not surprisingly, species that are exceptions to regional phylogeographic patterns have been identified in most, if not all, phylogeographic hotspots, precluding generalizations and challenging expectations for shared causes of organismal diversification.…”

Section: Species-specific Traits and Idiosyncratic Phylogeographic Pamentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotypes in phylogeography: Species’ traits, environmental variation, and vertebrate diversification

Zamudio

Bell

Mason

2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

203

175

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Almost 30 y ago, the field of intraspecific phylogeography laid the foundation for spatially explicit and genealogically informed studies of population divergence. With new methods and markers, the focus in phylogeography shifted to previously unrecognized geographic genetic variation, thus reducing the attention paid to phenotypic variation in those same diverging lineages. Although phenotypic differences among lineages once provided the main data for studies of evolutionary change, the mechanisms shaping phenotypic differentiation and their integration with intraspecific genetic structure have been underexplored in phylogeographic studies. However, phenotypes are targets of selection and play important roles in species performance, recognition, and diversification. Here, we focus on three questions. First, how can phenotypes elucidate mechanisms underlying concordant or idiosyncratic responses of vertebrate species evolving in shared landscapes? Second, what mechanisms underlie the concordance or discordance of phenotypic and phylogeographic differentiation? Third, how can phylogeography contribute to our understanding of functional phenotypic evolution? We demonstrate that the integration of phenotypic data extends the reach of phylogeography to explain the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. Finally, we stress the importance of natural history collections as sources of high-quality phenotypic data that span temporal and spatial axes.phylogeography | phenotype | function | trait | concordance P hylogeography, as originally defined, focused on processes governing the spatial distribution of genealogical lineages within species (1). One of the strengths of the field at its inception was formalizing conceptual links among heredity (processes at the level of individual pedigrees), divergence at the population level, and phylogenetic relationships among species (1). This analytical framework bridged microevolutionary processes acting within populations and macroevolutionary patterns at larger spatial and temporal scales. From the earliest applications, empirical phylogeographic studies described spatial patterns of genetic diversity and inferred underlying mechanisms, thus contributing to the explanatory and predictive power of the field (2). If most species show phylogeographic structure caused by landscape features that impede gene flow, then the geographic distribution of divergent lineages should coincide among species that coinhabit those landscapes. Further, phylogeographic breaks or contact zones should arise as lineages diverge allopatrically or come into secondary contact after divergence, respectively. This explicit prediction (1) resulted in a search for shared geographic patterns in genetic structure among species and the birth of comparative phylogeography (3, 4). Now, with thousands of taxon-specific phylogeographic studies published and synthesized in comparative studies (5, 6), we have learned a tremendous amount about the geography of genetic structure both within and among species.Phylogeogra...

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Mitochondrial DNA differentiation in North Atlantic eels: Population genetic consequences of an unusual life history pattern

Cited by 242 publications

References 12 publications

Panmixia in the European eel: a matter of time…

Panmixia in the European eel: a matter of time…

Assessing patterns of hybridization between North Atlantic eels using diagnostic single-nucleotide polymorphisms

Phenotypes in phylogeography: Species’ traits, environmental variation, and vertebrate diversification

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