Population Structure and Phylogeography in Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus striatus), a Mass-Aggregating Marine Fish

Abstract

To address patterns of genetic connectivity in a mass-aggregating marine fish, we analyzed genetic variation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), microsatellites, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus). We expected Nassau grouper to exhibit genetic differentiation among its subpopulations due to its reproductive behavior and retentive oceanographic conditions experienced across the Caribbean basin. All samples were genotyped for two mitochondrial markers and 9 microsatellite loci, and a subset of samples were genotyped for 4,234 SNPs. We found evidence of genetic differentiation in a Caribbean-wide study of this mass-aggregating marine fish using mtDNA (FST = 0.206, p<0.001), microsatellites (FST = 0.002, p = 0.004) and SNPs (FST = 0.002, p = 0.014), and identified three potential barriers to larval dispersal. Genetically isolated regions identified in our work mirror those seen for other invertebrate and fish species in the Caribbean basin. Oceanographic regimes in the Caribbean may largely explain patterns of genetic differentiation among Nassau grouper subpopulations. Regional patterns observed warrant standardization of fisheries management and conservation initiatives among countries within genetically isolated regions.

Population genomic evidence for adaptive differentiation in the Baltic Sea herring

“…) and the Nassau grouper ( Epinephelus striatus ) (Jackson et al . ). Typically, in most studies a small number of geographically distinct populations have been under focus.…”

“…Recent population genomic studies of marine fish have provided examples of how such approaches can reveal new insights into the scale and degree of adaptive differentiation in the wild (Bradbury et al 2010;Corander et al 2013;Hess et al 2013;Karlsen et al 2013;Jackson et al 2014;Guo et al 2015). Discoveries from these studies stand in stark contrast to the numerous early population genetic studies in which little or no genetic differentiation was detected, even if large geographic areas spanning steep environmental gradients were covered (reviewed in Gyllensten 1985;Ward et al 1994;DeWoody & Avise 2000;Ward 2004;Cano et al 2008;Hauser & Carvalho 2008).…”

“…Population genomic studies in marine fish have thus far been restricted to relatively few taxathe threespined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) (Hohenlohe et al , 2012Jones et al 2012;Feulner et al 2013Feulner et al , 2015Terekhanova et al 2014;Guo et al 2015;Ferchaud & Hansen 2016), the nine-spined stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) (Bruneaux et al 2013;Guo et al 2013), the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) (Bradbury et al 2010;Karlsen et al 2013;Berg et al 2015), Atlantic eels (Anguilla anguilla and A. rostrata) (Jacobsen et al 2014;Pujolar et al 2014a,b), herring (Clupea harengus) (Lamichhaney et al 2012;Corander et al 2013), the Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) (Hess et al 2013) and the Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) (Jackson et al 2014). Typically, in most studies a small number of geographically distinct populations have been under focus.…”

Spatial dynamics and mixing of bluefin tuna in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea revealed using next‐generation sequencing

“…SNPs are commonly used for population genomic analyses and molecular ecology studies due to their high abundance in any given genome, transferability between laboratories, high throughput potential and low genotyping error (Elshire et al., ; Hauser, Baird, Hilborn, Seeb, & Seeb, ; Hess, Matala, & Narum, ; Kelley, Brown, Overgaard Therkildsen, & Foote, ; Seeb et al., ). They have been used to investigate marine fish population structure (Albaina et al., ; Diopere et al., ; Jackson et al., ; Milano et al., ; Wang et al., ) and seafood traceability (Nielsen et al., ; Stokstad, ), providing the scientific premises for the monitoring of migratory stocks and further development of DNA‐based forensics in fisheries law enforcement. The developed panel of SNPs was then used to differentiate medium and large size adults of eastern and western origin captured at several feeding aggregations in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.…”

“…They have been used to investigate marine fish population structure (Albaina et al, 2013;Diopere et al, 2017;Jackson et al, 2014;Milano et al, 2014;Wang et al, 2016) and seafood traceability (Nielsen et al, 2012;Stokstad, 2010), providing the scientific premises for the monitoring of migratory stocks and further development of DNA-based forensics in fisheries law enforcement. The developed panel of SNPs was then used to differentiate medium and large size adults of eastern and western origin captured at sev- (2012) and Levantine Sea (2012).…”