High Levels of Genetic Connectivity among Populations of Yellowtail Snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus (Lutjanidae – Perciformes), in the Western South Atlantic Revealed through Multilocus Analysis

Abstract

In the present study, five loci (mitochondrial and nuclear) were sequenced to determine the genetic diversity, population structure, and demographic history of populations of the yellowtail snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus, found along the coast of the western South Atlantic. O. chrysurus is a lutjanid species that is commonly associated with coral reefs and exhibits an ample geographic distribution, and it can therefore be considered a good model for the investigation of phylogeographic patterns and genetic connectivity in marine environments. The results reflected a marked congruence between the mitochondrial and nuclear markers as well as intense gene flow among the analyzed populations, which represent a single genetic stock along the entire coast of Brazil between the states of Pará and Espírito Santo. Our data also showed high levels of genetic diversity in the species (mainly mtDNA), as well a major historic population expansion, which most likely coincided with the sea level oscillations at the end of the Pleistocene. In addition, this species is intensively exploited by commercial fisheries, and data on the genetic structure of its populations will be essential for the development of effective conservation and management plans.

Development of EPIC-PCR Markers for Lutjanus purpureus (Lutjanidae-Perciformes) and their Potential Applicability in Population Analyses

“…All the markers showed genetic variation levels similar to or higher than intragenic regions previously used in other marine teleosts, including lutjanids (e.g., Gaither et al 2010, 2011, da Silva et al 2015 (Table II). In certain cases, the genetic variation values were comparable to the variation indicated by mitochondrial regions.…”

More than meets the eye: The barrier effect of the Yangtze River outflow

“…One common difference in response to the CDW has been identified between fishes and molluscs (reviewed in Ni et al., ). Fishes are generally less impacted by the CDW, as they can usually (though not always) maintain population connectivity over great distances because of their swimming abilities as adults and a relatively long PLD (e.g., Da Silva et al., ; Gaither, Toonen, Robertson, Planes, & Bowen, ). A well‐documented case in the ECS is the silver pomfret fish ( Pampus argenteus ).…”

Population genetic structure and demographic history of the spadefish, Chaetodipterus faber (Ephippidae) from Southwestern Atlantic

“…Such severe climatic and sea level fluctuations during the late Pleistocene (Adams et al, 1999) have been suggested as strong influence in shaping patterns of genetic variability and the geographic distribution of marine fauna (Almada et al, 2001;Domingues et al, 2006Domingues et al, , 2007aDomingues et al, , 2007bSantos et al, 2006;Stefanni et al, 2006). Genetic signatures of population expansion produced by environmental changes of the late Pleistocene have been worldwide documented for marine fishes such as Ocyurus chrysurus (25 kyr ago; Silva et al, 2015); Engraulis mordax (61kyr ago; Díaz-Viloria et al, 2012), Sicyopterus japonicus (135 to 25 kyr ago; Ju et al, 2013) and Cephalopholis fulva (148 to 131 kyr ago; Souza et al, 2015).…”