Distribution and population structure in the naked goby Gobiosoma bosc (Perciformes: Gobiidae) along a salinity gradient in two western Atlantic estuaries Citation metadata

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Christopher S.,Ruocchio,Matthew J.,Blakeslee,April M.H. Moore (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: Many species of fish produce larvae that undergo a prolonged dispersal phase. However,evidence from a number of recent studies on demersal fishes suggests that the dispersalof propagules may not be strongly correlated with gene flow. Instead, other factorslike larval behavior and the availability of preferred settlement habitat may be moreimportant to maintaining population structure. We used an ecologically importantbenthic fish species, Gobiosoma bosc (naked goby), to investigate local and regionalscale population structure and gene flow along a salinity gradient (∼3 ppt to ∼18ppt) in two North Carolina estuaries. G. bosc is an abundant and geographicallywidespread species that requires complex but patchy microhabitat (e.g. oyster reefs,rubble, woody debris) for reproduction and refuge. We sequenced 155 fish from10 sites, using a common barcoding gene (COI). We also included recent sequencedata from GenBank to determine how North Carolina populations fit into the largerbiogeographic understanding of this species. In North Carolina, we found a significantamount of gene flow within and between estuaries. Our analysis also showed highpredicted genetic diversity based upon a large number of rare haplotypes found withinmany of our sampled populations. Moreover, we detected a number of new haplotypesin North Carolina that had not yet been observed in prior work. Sampling along asalinity gradient did not reveal any significant positive or negative correlations betweensalinity and genetic diversity, nor the proportion of singleton haplotypes, with theexception of a positive correlation between salinity standard deviation and geneticdiversity. We also found evidence that an introduced European population of nakedgobies may have originated from an Atlantic source population. Altogether, this systemoffers a compelling way to evaluate whether factors other than dispersal per se mediaterecruitment in an estuarine-dependent species of fish with a larval dispersal phase. Italso demonstrates the importance of exploring both smaller and larger scale populationstructure in marine organisms to better understand local and regional patterns ofpopulation connectivity and gene flow.

Additional Information

Publication

Other

Language: English

Date: 2018

Keywords

Biogeography, Gene flow, Dispersal, North Carolina, Habitat mosaic, Demersal, Genetic diversity, Local, Regional

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