Introgressive hybridization and latitudinal admixture clines in North Atlantic eels.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Hybridization, the interbreeding of diagnosably divergent species, is a major focus in evolutionary studies. Eels, both from North America and Europe migrate through the Atlantic to mate in a vast, overlapping area in the Sargasso Sea. Due to the lack of direct observation, it is unknown how these species remain reproductively isolated. The detection of inter-species hybrids in Iceland suggests on-going gene flow, but few studies to date have addressed the influence of introgression on genetic differentiation in North Atlantic eels.

Results

Here, we show that while mitochondrial lineages remain completely distinct on both sides of the Atlantic, limited hybridization is detectable with nuclear DNA markers. The nuclear hybridization signal peaks in the northern area

SUBMITTER: Wielgoss S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3986858 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature