Barriers to gene flow in the marine environment: insights from two common intertidal limpet species of the Atlantic and Mediterranean

Knowledge of the scale of dispersal and the mechanisms governing gene flow in marine environments remains fragmentary despite being essential for understanding evolution of marine biota and to design management plans. We use the limpets Patella ulyssiponensis and Patella rustica as models for identifying factors affecting gene flow in marine organisms across the North-East Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. A set of allozyme loci and a fragment of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome C oxidase subunit I were screened for genetic variation through starch gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing, respectively. An approach combining clustering algorithms with clinal analyses was used to test for the existence of barriers to gene flow and estimate their geographic location and abruptness. Sharp breaks in the genetic composition of individuals were observed in the transitions between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and across southern Italian shores. An additional break within the Atlantic c...

尽管解析海洋生物区系演化历程、制定海洋资源管理方案亟需相关认知，但学界对海洋环境中生物扩散规模与基因流调控机制的了解仍较为零散。本研究以乌氏帽贝（Patella ulyssiponensis）与锈色帽贝（Patella rustica）为模式物种，旨在识别东北大西洋与地中海海域内影响海洋生物基因流的关键因素。研究分别通过淀粉凝胶电泳与DNA测序技术，对一组等位酶位点以及线粒体细胞色素C氧化酶亚基I（cytochrome C oxidase subunit I, COI）基因片段开展遗传变异筛选。本研究采用聚类算法与渐变群分析相结合的研究方法，对基因流障碍的存在性进行检验，并估算其地理分布位置与变化陡度。在大西洋与地中海的过渡海域以及意大利南部沿岸区域，观测到个体遗传组成出现显著的断裂现象。大西洋海域内部还存在一处额外的遗传断裂带（原文未完整收录后续内容）