Exceptional population genomic homogeneity in the black brittle star Ophiocomina nigra (Ophiuroidea, Echinodermata) along the Atlantic-Mediterranean coast.

ABSTRACT: The Atlantic-Mediterranean marine transition is characterised by strong oceanographic barriers and steep environmental gradients that generally result in connectivity breaks between populations from both basins and may lead to local adaptation. Here, we performed a population genomic study of the black brittle star, Ophiocomina nigra, covering most of its distribution range along the Atlantic-Mediterranean region. Interestingly, O. nigra is extremely variable in its coloration, with individuals ranging from black to yellow-orange, and different colour morphs inhabiting different depths and habitats. In this work, we used a fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene and 2,374 genome-wide ddRADseq-derived SNPs to explore: (a) whether the different colour morphs of O. nigra represent different ev

SUBMITTER: Leiva C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10390532 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature