Genotypes of Bathymodiolus vent mussels from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge using SNP and mitochondrial markers

The provided file archive contains genotype data from mid-Atlantic hydrothermal vent mussels (genus Bathymodiolus) at 18 SNP loci and the mitochondrial ND4 gene (BMAR_Baz_Bpu_genotypes.txt). The subfolders denote statistical programs used in the multilocus genotyping study and contain input files and scripts that were used in the respective analyses.

Our analyses indicate that B. azoricus and B. puteoserpentis hybridize introgressively across a large geographic area without evidence for general hybrid incompatibilities. While these findings shed new light onto the genetic structure of this hybrid zone, many aspects about its nature still remain obscure. Our study sets a baseline for further research that should primarily focus on the acquisition of additional mussel samples and environmental data, a detailed exploration of vent areas and hidden populations as well as genomic analyses in both mussel hosts and their bacterial symbionts.