Phylogeographic structure and northward range expansion in the barnacle Chthamalus fragilis.

ABSTRACT: The barnacle Chthamalus fragilis is found along the US Atlantic seaboard historically from the Chesapeake Bay southward, and in the Gulf of Mexico. It appeared in New England circa 1900 coincident with warming temperatures, and is now a conspicuous member of rocky intertidal communities extending through the northern shore of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The origin of northern C. fragilis is debated. It may have spread to New England from the northern end of its historic range through larval transport by ocean currents, possibly mediated by the construction of piers, marinas, and other anthropogenic structures that provided new hard substrate habitat. Alternatively, it may have been introduced by fouling on ships originating farther south in its historic distribution. Here we examine mitochond

SUBMITTER: Govindarajan AF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4419548 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature