Species distribution and population connectivity of deep-sea mussels at hydrocarbon seeps in the Gulf of Mexico.

ABSTRACT: Hydrocarbon seepage is widespread and patchy in the Gulf of Mexico, and six species of symbiont containing bathymodiolin mussels are found on active seeps over wide and overlapping depth and geographic ranges. We use mitochondrial genes to discriminate among the previously known and a newly discovered species and to assess the connectivity among populations of the same species in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Our results generally validate the morphologically based distribution of the three previously known GoM species of Bathymodiolus, although we found that approximately 10% of the morphologically based identifications were incorrect and this resulted in some inaccuracies with respect to their previously assigned depth and geographical distribution patterns. These data allowed us to

SUBMITTER: Faure B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4393317 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature