When the American sea sturgeon swam east

• Main Authors: Ludwig, A., Debus, L., Lieckfeldt, D., Wirgin, I., Benecke, N., Jenneckens, I., Williot, Patrick, Waldman, J., Pitra, C., Gessner, Joern, Ritterhoff, J.
• Other Authors: INSTITUTE FOR ZOO AND WILDLIFE RESEARCH BERLIN DEU, Partenaires IRSTEA, Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA), INSTITUTE OF ZOOLOGY ROSTOCK DEU, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE TUXEDO USA, GERMAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE BERLIN DEU, INSTITUTE FOR ANIMAL BREEDING AND GENETICS GOTTINGEN DEU, Ecosystèmes estuariens et poissons migrateurs amphihalins (UR EPBX), Centre national du machinisme agricole, du génie rural, des eaux et forêts (CEMAGREF), HUDSON RIVER FOUNDATION FOR SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH NEW YORK USA, INSTITUTE OF FRESHWATER ECOLOGY AND INLAND FISHERIES BERLIN DEU, BUNDESAMT FUR NATURSCHUTZ PUTBUS RUEGEN DEU
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2004
• Subjects: ATLANTIQUE OCEAN; AMERIQUE DU NORD; EUROPE; BALTIQUE MER; [SDE]Environmental Sciences; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02583182

International audience The two species of Atlantic sea sturgeon on either shore of the North Atlantic, Acipenser sturio in Europe and A. oxyrinchus in North America, probably diverged with the closure of the Tethys Sea and the onset of the North Atlantic Gyre 15-20 million years ago, and contact between them was then presumably precluded by geographic distance. Here we present genetic, morphological and archaeological evidence indicating that the North American sturgeon colonized the Baltic during the Middle Ages and replaced the native sturgeon there. Our findings have important implications for projects aimed at restocking Baltic waters with the European sturgeon A. sturio.