Population genomics of three deep-sea cephalopod species reveals connectivity between the Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Atlantic Ocean

Vertical Distribution Patterns of Cephalopods in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

“…The 2150 specimens included in the analyses here were those individuals collected in quantifiable trawl tows. Specimens were measured and identified to species level when possible at sea and either sampled for molecular projects (i.e., Sosnowski, 2017;Timm et al, 2020), frozen, or preserved (10% formalin). Identifications were verified or corrected post-cruise.…”

Incorporating evolutionary based tools in cephalopod fisheries management

“…However, genomic approaches offer readily employed tools to identify distinct stocks even in cases where traditional genetic tools show no structure (Vendrami et al 2017). That would allow recognizing the mismatches between biological stocks and assessment and management units that can cause population decline (Pita et al 2015a;Casey et al 2016;Gonçalves da Silva et al 2020;Mejía-Ruíz et al 2020;Timm et al 2020). If panmictic metapopulation is harvested differently in two or more geopolitical areas, those management practices will have interconnected effects, and new data indeed shows that catches of transboundary species decline faster (Palacios-Abrantes et al 2020).…”

“…Moreover, in the case of highly migratory squid species, genomic data could enable monitoring of migrations and correct identification of stocks independent of their geographical or temporal presence, or could facilitate locating spawning grounds. High resolution insights into connectivity of explored stocks can provide fishery assessment and management with information on stocks recruitment patterns, source-sink dynamics and demographic (in)dependence, and thus indirectly also on the long-term stock resilience due to replenishment upon local environmental perturbations (Waples and Naish 2009;Cisneros-Mata et al 2019;Silva et al 2019b;Cheng et al 2020;Lee and O'Malley 2020;Mejía-Ruíz et al 2020;Timm et al 2020). In addition, obtained fine scale patterns of stock connectivity can be very useful in designing spatial management tools (Katsanevakis et al 2011;Domínguez-Contreras et al 2018).…”

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Investigate Deep-Pelagic Ecosystem Dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico Following Deepwater Horizon

“…The multidisciplinary nature of these two programs facilitates an ecosystem-based approach to guide interpretations of assemblage-level data. For example, using ddRADseq in combination with physical oceanographic modeling provided evidence that the Loop Current could be facilitating genetic connectivity in pelagic shrimps, with its concomitant implications for the recovery and resilience of a species (Timm et al, 2020a). In another example, microbial assemblages were characterized using abiotic and biotic data collected via CTD sensing and their dynamics interpreted using MODIS satellite imagery (Easson and Lopez, 2019).…”

“…In addition to these samples, up to 50 tissue samples per cruise were collected for temporal population genomics studies (ddRADseq; Peterson et al, 2012) of eight fish species and six crustacean species (Timm et al, 2020b, Supplementary Table 6). Additionally, tissue samples from three species of cephalopods were used to compare the genetic connectivity of each species between the GoM (Supplementary Table 6) and the Bear Seamount region of the northern Atlantic Ocean (Timm et al, 2020a). In all cases, paired plastic identification tags were kept with each tissue sample and the corresponding individual voucher specimen to maintain data integrity before, during, and after barcoding procedures.…”