Invasion success of a Lessepsian symbiont-bearing foraminifera linked to high dispersal ability, preadaptation and suppression of sexual reproduction.

ABSTRACT: Among the most successful Lessepsian invaders is the symbiont-bearing benthic foraminifera Amphistegina lobifera. In its newly conquered habitat, this prolific calcifier and ecosystem engineer is exposed to environmental conditions that exceed the range of its native habitat. To disentangle which processes facilitated the invasion success of A. lobifera into the Mediterranean Sea we analyzed a ~ 1400 bp sequence fragment covering the SSU and ITS gene markers to compare the populations from its native regions and along the invasion gradient. The genetic variability was studied at four levels: intra-genomic, population, regional and geographical. We observed that the invasion is not associated with genetic differentiation, but the invasive populations show a distinct suppression of intra-gen

SUBMITTER: S Raposo D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10400638 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature