No abstract

BackgroundDespite the impressive growth of sequence databases, the limited availability of nuclear markers that are sufficiently polymorphic for population genetics and phylogeography and applicable across various phyla restricts many potential studies, particularly in non-model organisms. Numerous introns have invariant positions among kingdoms, providing a potential source for such markers. Unfortunately, most of the few known EPIC (Exon Primed Intron Crossing) loci are restricted to vertebrates or belong to multigenic families.ResultsIn order to develop markers with broad applicability, we designed a bioinformatic approach aimed at avoiding multigenic families while identifying intron positions conserved across metazoan phyla. We developed a program facilitating the identification of EPIC loci which allowed slight variation in intron position. From the Homolens databases we selected 29 gene families which contained 52 promising introns for which we designed 93 primer pairs. PCR tests were performed on several ascidians, echinoderms, bivalves and cnidarians. On average, 24 different introns per genus were amplified in bilaterians. Remarkably, five of the introns successfully amplified in all of the metazoan genera tested (a dozen genera, including cnidarians). The influence of several factors on amplification success was investigated. Success rate was not related to the phylogenetic relatedness of a taxon to the groups that most influenced primer design, showing that these EPIC markers are extremely conserved in animals.ConclusionsOur new method now makes it possible to (i) rapidly isolate a set of EPIC markers for any phylum, even outside the animal kingdom, and thus, (ii) compare genetic diversity at potentially homologous polymorphic loci between divergent taxa.

Preliminary analyses revealed the presence of at least five mitochondrial clades within the widespread sea urchin Echinocardium cordatum (Spatangoida). In this study, we analyzed the genetic (two mitochondrial and two nuclear sequence loci) and morphological characteristics (20 indices) from worldwide samples of this taxon to establish the species limits, morphological diversity and differentiation. Co-occurring spatangoid species were also analyzed with mitochondrial DNA. The nuclear sequences confirm that mitochondrial lineages correspond to true genetic entities and reveal that two clades (named A and B1) hybridize in their sympatry area, although a more closely related pair of clades (B1 and B2), whose distributions widely overlap, does not display hybridization. The morphology of all E. cordatum clade pairs was significantly differentiated, but no morphological diagnostic character was evidenced. By contrast, other spatangoid species pairs that diverged more recently than the E. cordatum clades display clear diagnostic characters. Morphological diversity thus appears responsible for the absence of diagnostic characters, ruling out stabilizing selection, a classical explanation for cryptic species. Alternative classical explanations are (i) environmental plasticity or (ii) a high diversity of genes determining morphology, maintained by varying environmental conditions. We suggest a new hypothesis that the observed morphological diversity is selectively neutral and reflects high effective population sizes in the E. cordatum complex. It is supported by the higher abundance of this taxon compared with other taxa, a trend for the genetic and morphological diversity to be correlated in Europe, and the higher genetic and morphological diversities found in clades of E cordatum (except B1) than in other spatangoid samples in Europe. However, the Pacific clades do not confirm these trends.