Role of oceanography in shaping the genetic structure in the North Pacific hake Merluccius productus.

ABSTRACT: Determining the relative influence of biotic and abiotic factors on genetic connectivity among populations remains a major challenge in evolutionary biology and in the management and conservation of species. North Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) inhabits upwelling regions in the California Current ecosystem from the Gulf of California to the Gulf of Alaska. In this study, we examined mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellite variation to estimate levels of genetic differentiation of M. productus in relation to the role of oceanographic features as potential barriers to gene flow. Samples were obtained from nine sites spanning a large part of the geographic range of the species, from Puget Sound, Washington to Costa Rica. The microsatellite results revealed three genetically discrete

SUBMITTER: Garcia-De Leon FJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5868808 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature