High dispersal capacity and biogeographic breaks shape the genetic diversity of a globally distributed reef-dwelling calcifier.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the role of dispersal and adaptation in the evolutionary history of marine species is essential for predicting their response to changing conditions. We analyzed patterns of genetic differentiation in the key tropical calcifying species of large benthic foraminifera Amphistegina lobifera to reveal the evolutionary processes responsible for its biogeographic distribution. We collected specimens from 16 sites encompassing the entire range of the species and analyzed hypervariable fragments of the 18S SSU rDNA marker. We identified six hierarchically organized genotypes with mutually exclusive distribution organized along a longitudinal gradient. The distribution is consistent with diversification occurring in the Indo-West Pacific (IWP) followed by dispersal toward the p

SUBMITTER: Prazeres M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7319125 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature