Population genetic structure of annual and perennial populations of Zostera marina L. along the Pacific coast of Baja California
and the Gulf of California
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Resource Abstract:
The Baja California peninsula represents a biogeographical boundary contributing to regional differentiation among populations
of marine animals. We investigated the genetic characteristics of perennial and annual populations of the marine angiosperm,
Zostera marina, along the Pacific coast of Baja California and in the Gulf of California, respectively. Populations of Z.
marina from five coastal lagoons along the Pacific coast and four sites in the Gulf of California were studied using nine
microsatellite loci. Analyses of variance revealed significant interregional differentiation, but no subregional differentiation.
Significant spatial differentiation, assessed using ??ST values, was observed among all populations within the two regions.
Z. marina populations along the Pacific coast are separated by more than 220 km and had the greatest ??ST (0.13-0.28) values,
suggesting restricted gene flow. In contrast, lower but still significant genetic differentiation was observed among populations
within the Gulf of California (??ST = 0.04-0.18), even though populations are separated by more than 250 km. This suggests
higher levels of gene flow among Gulf of California populations relative to Pacific coast populations. Direction of gene flow
was predominantly southward among Pacific coast populations, whereas no dominant polarity in the Gulf of California populations
was observed. The test for isolation by distance (IBD) showed a significant correlation between genetic and geographical distances
in Gulf of California populations, but not in Pacific coast populations, perhaps because of shifts in currents during El Nin??o
Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events along the Pacific coast. ?? 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Citation
Title Population genetic structure of annual and perennial populations of Zostera marina L. along the Pacific coast of Baja California
and the Gulf of California