skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


  • NSF Public Access
  • Search Results
  • Genetic homogeneity of the invasive lionfish across the Northwestern Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico based on Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms
Title: Genetic homogeneity of the invasive lionfish across the Northwestern Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico based on Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms
Abstract Despite the devastating impact of the lionfish ( Pterois volitans ) invasion on NW Atlantic ecosystems, little genetic information about the invasion process is available. We applied Genotyping by Sequencing techniques to identify 1,220 single nucleotide polymorphic sites (SNPs) from 162 lionfish samples collected between 2013 and 2015 from two areas chronologically identified as the first and last invaded areas in US waters: the east coast of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. We used population genomic analyses, including phylogenetic reconstruction, Bayesian clustering, genetic distances, Discriminant Analyses of Principal Components, and coalescence simulations for detection of outlier SNPs, to understand genetic trends relevant to the lionfish’s long-term persistence. We found no significant differences in genetic structure or diversity between the two areas (F ST p- values > 0.01, and t-test p- values > 0.05). In fact, our genomic analyses showed genetic homogeneity, with enough gene flow between the east coast of Florida and Gulf of Mexico to erase previous signals of genetic divergence detected between these areas, secondary spreading, and bottlenecks in the Gulf of Mexico. These findings suggest rapid genetic changes over space and time during the invasion, resulting in one panmictic population with no signs of divergence between areas due to local adaptation.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1754437
PAR ID:
10465002
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Scientific Reports
Volume:
8
Issue:
1
ISSN:
2045-2322
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Viruses)
    The movement of viruses in aquatic systems is rarely studied over large geographic scales. Oceanic currents, host migration, latitude-based variation in climate, and resulting changes in host life history are all potential drivers of virus connectivity, adaptation, and genetic structure. To expand our understanding of the genetic diversity of Callinectes sapidus reovirus 1 (CsRV1) across a broad spatial and host life history range of its blue crab host (Callinectes sapidus), we obtained 22 complete and 96 partial genomic sequences for CsRV1 strains from the US Atlantic coast, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic coast of South America. Phylogenetic analyses of CsRV1 genomes revealed that virus genotypes were divided into four major genogroups consistent with their host geographic origins. However, some CsRV1 sequences from the US mid-Atlantic shared high genetic similarity with the Gulf of Mexico genotypes, suggesting potential human-mediated movement of CsRV1 between the US mid-Atlantic and Gulf coasts. This study advances our understanding of how climate, coastal geography, host life history, and human activity drive patterns of genetic structure and diversity of viruses in marine animals and contributes to the capacity to infer broadscale host population connectivity in marine ecosystems from virus population genetic data. 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; (, Shore & Beach)
    Depth of closure (DOC) is defined as the most landward depth seaward of which there is no significant change in bed elevation and no significant net sediment exchange between the nearshore and the offshore over a certain period of time, such as 5 to 20 years. DOC is an essential parameter used in beach and shore protection, sediment management, and many other aspects of coastal studies. Taking advantage of advancements in wave hindcast and bathymetry measurement in the past 20 years (2000-2019), this study determined the DOC at 12 locations along the Florida coast, including three from the northwest Gulf coast, three from the west Gulf coast, and six from the east Atlantic coast. The 12 sites covered a wide range of coastal morphodynamic conditions, with considerable difference in tidal ranges, incident wave heights, as well as nearshore and offshore morphology. Hindcast wave data from WAVEWATCHIII, available since 2005, were analyzed and applied to calculate the closure depth using various empirical formulas. At all the 12 study sites, time-series profiles demonstrated an apparent convergence point indicating the presences of a DOC. The bed-level change at DOC, as quantified by the standard deviation of elevation variation, ranged from 0.05 m to 0.19 m. Along the studied northwest Florida Gulf coast the DOC ranged from 9.12 m to 9.76 m. The DOC along the studied west Florida Gulf coast ranged from 1.59 m to 4.06 m and is influenced by the shallow flat inner continental shelf. Along the studied east Florida Atlantic coast, the DOC ranged from 4.35 m to 8.20 m, with considerable alongshore variation. The Birkemeier formula yielded the closest predictions to the measured values. A linear relationship between the seaward slope of the outer bar and DOC was identified. Incorporating the seaward slope of the outer bar into the Birkemeier formula improved the accuracy of DOC prediction. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; (, Molecular Ecology)
    Abstract When organisms experience secondary contact after allopatric divergence, genomic regions can introgress differentially depending on their relationships with adaptation, reproductive isolation, recombination, and drift. Analyses of genome‐wide patterns of divergence and introgression could provide insight into the outcomes of hybridization and the potential relationship between allopatric divergence and reproductive isolation. Here, we generate population genetic data (26,262 SNPs; 353 individuals) using a reduced‐representation sequencing approach to quantify patterns of ancestry, differentiation, and introgression between a pair of ecologically distinct mammals—the desert woodrat (N.lepida) and Bryant's woodrat (N.bryanti)—that hybridize at a sharp ecotone in southern California. Individual ancestry estimates confirmed that hybrids were rare in this bimodal hybrid zone, and entirely consisted of a few F1individuals and a broad range of multigenerational backcrosses. Genomic cline analyses indicated more than half of loci had elevated introgression from one genomic background into the other. However, introgression was not associated with relative or absolute measures of divergence, and loci with extreme values for both were not typically found near detoxification enzymes previously implicated in dietary specialization for woodrats. The decoupling of differentiation and introgression suggests that processes other than adaptation, such as drift, may underlie the extreme clines at this contact zone. 
    more » « less
  4. ; ; ; ; (, PLOS ONE)
    Aguirre, Windsor E. (Ed.)
    Poeciliopsis (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae) is a genus comprised of 25 species of freshwater fishes. Several well-known taxonomic uncertainties exist within the genus, especially in relation to the taxonomic status of Poeciliopsis pleurospilus and P . gracilis . However, to date, no studies have been conducted to specifically address the taxonomic status of these two species. The goal of this study was to examine the taxonomic validity of P . pleurospilus and P . gracilis using genomic data (ddRADseq) in phylogenetic, population genetic, and species delimitation frameworks. Multiple analyses support the recognition of both taxa as distinct species and also permits us to revise their respective distributions. A species delimitation analysis indicates that P . pleurospilus and P . gracilis are distinct species, each of which consists of two distinct lineages that are geographically structured. Phylogenetic and population genetic analyses provide clear evidence that individuals of P . gracilis are distributed north and west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in both Pacific and Atlantic river systems in Mexico, whereas individuals of P . pleurospilus are distributed in both Atlantic and Pacific river systems south and east of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, from southern Mexico to Honduras. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ; (, ICES Journal of Marine Science)
    Grant, William (Ed.)
    Abstract The euphausiid genus Stylocheiron includes species with biogeographical distributions spanning multiple ocean basins. Despite their circumglobal distributions, the species show low levels of genetic diversity and little or no evidence of population structure based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcode region, with the exception of a possible cryptic species within Stylocheiron affine. Stylocheiron elongatum showed < 1% variation of the COI barcode region among populations in different ocean basins, but analysis of samples collected from the Florida Current (February, 1993) and Gulf Stream Meander Region (April, 1993) in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean revealed small-but-significant genetic differentiation between samples based on a different section of COI and mitochondrial cytochrome b (CYB). Both COI and CYB showed large haplotype and small nucleotide diversities, departures from neutral expectations, and haplotype networks consistent with persistent genetic structuring of the species population. These patterns of diversity indicate the presence of selection driving population divergence. We hypothesize that position-keeping by this deep-living, non-migrating euphausiid species may prevent genetic homogenization (panmixia) in the dynamic Gulf Stream System. This study demonstrates the importance of analyzing patterns of genetic diversity and structure at regional and global scales to understand the ecological and evolutionary processes impacting marine zooplankton. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email