Skip to content

Do differences in mating behaviour lead to differences in connectivity patterns of reef fishes? Insights from two sympatric surgeonfish species in the Indian Ocean

Departments

Ecosystem Co-Design

Abstract

Disentangling the contribution of biotic and abiotic factors in the structuring of the genetic diversity of reef species is critical to illuminate the diversification of evolutionary lineages in marine environment. Howevr, previous studies have mainly focused on determining the influence of pelagic larval duration on the connectivity and demographic history of reef fishes, whereas few studies have examined the effects of other biotic factors, such as mating behaviour and habitat preference. Here, we use mitochondrial DNA (ATPase 6/8) and ten microsatellite loci to compare the population genetic structure and demographic history of the spawning aggregating Acanthurus triostegus with the monogamous spawning Acanthurus leucosternon. Pairwise comparisons and discriminant analysis of principal components showed that the genetic structuring patterns of the two species are not consistent with the influence of mating behaviour, suggesting the possible role of other biotic and abiotic factors. However, demographic history estimates revealed that these species may have responded differently to sea level fluctuations during the glacial maxima.

Cite this activity

Otwoma L.M. and Reuter H. (2019) Do differences in mating behaviour lead to differences in connectivity patterns of reef fishes? Insights from two sympatric surgeonfish species in the Indian Ocean. 151: 104760. 10.1016/j.marenvres.2019.104760

Details

Research topics
Date 01.01.2019
Volume 151
Pages 104760
Open Access Closed Access
Open Access Status Closed Access
Eprints_link https://cris.leibniz-zmt.de/id/eprint/4152
Peer-Reviewed

Research Spectrum

The content on this page is maintained by the authors.