Genetic differentiation of blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou Risso) populations at the extremes of the species range and at the Hebrides–Porcupine Bank spawning grounds

Abstract The blue whiting, Micromesistius poutassou (Teleostei, Gadidae) is found between latitudes 26° and 82°N along the continental margin of the Northeast Atlantic, with smaller populations in the Northwest Atlantic and the Mediterranean. There is an annual spawning aggregation on the Porcupine...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ICES Journal of Marine Science
Main Authors: Ryan, Anthony W., Mattiangeli, Valeria, Mork, Jarle
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2005
Subjects:
Barents Sea
Hebridean Shelf
Porcupine Bank
Northeast Atlantic
Northwest Atlantic
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icesjms.2005.03.006
http://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article-pdf/62/5/948/29151257/62-5-948.pdf
Description
Summary:Abstract The blue whiting, Micromesistius poutassou (Teleostei, Gadidae) is found between latitudes 26° and 82°N along the continental margin of the Northeast Atlantic, with smaller populations in the Northwest Atlantic and the Mediterranean. There is an annual spawning aggregation on the Porcupine Bank and Hebridean Shelf (west of Ireland and Scotland, respectively), where most of the blue whiting population of the Northeast Atlantic spawns. Analysis of samples from the Barents Sea, the Northeast Atlantic, and the Mediterranean (n = 850, 11 samples) using one minisatellite and five microsatellite loci revealed significant geographic heterogeneity and isolated populations at the extremes of the species range in the Barents Sea and the Mediterranean. Furthermore, there was evidence of genetic heterogeneity among samples taken during the spawning season on the Porcupine Bank and Hebridean Shelf, with highly significant differentiation between the samples taken in the Hebrides in 1992 and 1998.

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