Living in the past: phylogeography and population histories of Indo-Pacific wrasses (genus Halichoeres) in shallow lagoons versus outer reef slopes.

ABSTRACT: Sea level fluctuations during glacial cycles affect the distribution of shallow marine biota, exposing the continental shelf on a global scale, and displacing coral reef habitat to steep slopes on oceanic islands. In these circumstances we expect that species inhabiting lagoons should show shallow genetic architecture relative to species inhabiting more stable outer reefs. Here we test this expectation on an ocean-basin scale with four wrasses (genus Halichoeres): H. claudia (N = 194, with ocean-wide distribution) and H. ornatissimus (N = 346, a Hawaiian endemic) inhabit seaward reef slopes, whereas H. trimaculatus (N = 239) and H. margaritaceus (N = 118) inhabit lagoons and shallow habitats throughout the Pacific. Two mitochondrial markers (cytochrome oxidase I and control region) were se

SUBMITTER: Ludt WB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3368945 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature