Origin and Dispersal History of Two Colonial Ascidian Clades in the Botryllus schlosseri Species Complex.

ABSTRACT: Human-induced global warming and species introductions are rapidly altering the composition and functioning of Earth's marine ecosystems. Ascidians (Phylum Chordata, Subphylum Tunicata, Class Ascidiacea) are likely to play an increasingly greater role in marine communities. The colonial ascidian B. schlosseri is a cryptic species complex comprising five genetically divergent clades (A-E). Clade A is a global species, and Clade E has so far been identified in European waters only. Using the largest mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I datasets yet assembled, we determine the origin and dispersal history of these species. Nucleotide diversity and Approximate Bayesian Computation analyses support a Pacific origin for Clade A, with two likely dispersal scenarios that both show the northwestern A

SUBMITTER: Nydam ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5249052 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature