VALUE OF POPULATION GENETIC STUDIES IN SMALL TUNAS
Pelagic marine species with a large migratory potential are expected to exhibit little genetic structure. However, this statement of putative homogenous population has been recently challenged by series of genetic studies in several small tuna species revealing unexpected population structure in rel...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.498.542 http://www.iccat.int/Documents/CVSP/CV064_2009/no_7/CV0640702225.pdf |
| Summary: | Pelagic marine species with a large migratory potential are expected to exhibit little genetic structure. However, this statement of putative homogenous population has been recently challenged by series of genetic studies in several small tuna species revealing unexpected population structure in relative small areas. One of these examples is the Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda) in the Mediterranean Sea. Based on distribution of spawning grounds and migratory movements, the Atlantic bonito was thought to be structured in two isolated populations within this sea. However, recent genetic studies revealed that Atlantic bonito presented a population structure corresponding to isolation by distance mechanism. Furthermore, the North Atlantic population is genetically isolated from the Mediterranean. Other striking example has been recently observed in Little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus). Initially, Little tunny was described as a single species distributed on both sides of Atlantic Ocean including the Mediterranean Sea. However, recent genetic analysis was able to identify cryptic species between east and west North Atlantic populations. In summary, genetic studies revealed hidden population structure in several small tuna species indicating that small tunas species have a great susceptibility to establish genetically differentiation in relatively small areas. Therefore, population genetic |
|---|