Oceanographic barriers to gene flow promote genetic subdivision of the tunicate Ciona intestinalis in a North Sea archipelago.

ABSTRACT: Pelagic larval development has the potential to connect populations over large geographic distances and prevent genetic structuring. The solitary tunicate Ciona intestinalis has pelagic eggs and a swimming larval stage lasting for maximum a few days, with the potential for a homogenizing gene flow over relatively large areas. In the eastern North Sea, it is found in a geomorphologically complex archipelago with a mix of fjords and open costal habitats. Here, the coastal waters are also stratified with a marked pycnocline driven by salinity and temperature differences between shallow and deep waters. We investigated the genetic structure of C. intestinalis in this area and compared it with oceanographic barriers to dispersal that would potentially reduce connectivity among loc

SUBMITTER: Johannesson K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6061499 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature