Limited Genetic Connectivity between Gorgonian Morphotypes along a Depth Gradient.

ABSTRACT: Gorgonian species show a high morphological variability in relation to the environment in which they live. In coastal areas, parameters such as temperature, light, currents, and food availability vary significantly with depth, potentially affecting morphology of the colonies and the structure of the populations, as well as their connectivity patterns. In tropical seas, the existence of connectivity between shallow and deep populations supported the hypothesis that the deep coral reefs could potentially act as (reproductive) refugia fostering re-colonization of shallow areas after mortality events. Moreover, this hypothesis is not so clear accepted in temperate seas. Eunicella singularis is one of the most common gorgonian species in Northwestern Mediterranean Sea, playing an important role

SUBMITTER: Costantini F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4973999 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature