Post-Disturbance Genetic Changes: The Impact of the 2010 Mega-Earthquake and Tsunami on Chilean Sandy Beach Fauna.

ABSTRACT: Earthquake/tsunamis can have profound impacts on species and their genetic patterns. It is expected that the magnitude of this impact might depend on the species and the time since the disturbance occurs, nevertheless these assumptions remain mostly unexplored. Here we studied the genetic responses of the crustacean species Emerita analoga, Excirolana hirsuticauda, and Orchestoidea tuberculata to the 27F mega-earthquake/tsunami that occurred in Chile in February 2010. mtDNA sequence analyses revealed a lower haplotype diversity for E. analoga and E. hirsuticauda in impacted areas one month after the 27F, and the opposite for O. tuberculata. Three years after the 27F we observed a recovery in the genetic diversity of E. analoga and E. hirsuticauda and decrease in the genetic diversity in O.

SUBMITTER: Brante A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6775079 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature