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Inter-oceanic genetic differentiation among albacore (Thunnus alalunga) populations

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Abstract

Albacore (Thunnus alalunga) is a highly migratory pelagic species distributed in all tropical and temperate oceans. Recent analyses using both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA markers have demonstrated genetic subdivision within and between Atlantic and Pacific populations. However, although numerous biological differences have been reported for Atlantic and Mediterranean albacore, the genetic differentiation for these basins has not been demonstrated. We characterized 373 base pairs of nucleotide sequence from the mitochondrial DNA control region of 134 individuals collected in the Pacific (n=30), the northeast (NE) Atlantic (n=54) and the Mediterranean (n=50). Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed a small, but highly significant, proportion of genetic variation separating these three regions (Φ st =0.041; P=0.009), a pattern also supported by pairwise comparisons. These results demonstrate for the first time the genetic distinctiveness of the Mediterranean albacore from the NE Atlantic population giving support to the current management practices based on separate units. This outcome is concordant with reported migratory movements related to reproductive behavior between the NE Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Additionally, the phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences revealed the presence of a shallow genetic discontinuity with no geographic association. These two phylogroups are more likely the result of the demographic history of this species (i.e. long demographic stable history) as opposed to historical vicariance as has been proposed for other highly migratory fishes.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Josu Santiago, Bert Ely, Seinen Chow, Persefoni Megalofonou, Gregorio de Metrio for help in sample collection. This manuscript was improved thanks to the comments of three anonymous reviewers. Part of this work was funded by the EEC DG XIV. J.V. is a post-doctoral fellow funded by the Texas Institute of Oceanography. The experiments conducted in this paper comply with the current laws of USA and Spain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, 5007 Ave U, Galveston, TX 77551, USA

    J. Viñas & J. R. Alvarado Bremer

  2. Laboratori d’Ictiologia Genètica, Universitat de Girona, Campus Montilivi, 17071, Girona, Spain

    C. Pla

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  1. J. Viñas
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  2. J. R. Alvarado Bremer
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  3. C. Pla
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Correspondence to J. Viñas.

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Communicated by P.W. Sammarco, Chauvin

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Viñas, J., Alvarado Bremer, J.R. & Pla, C. Inter-oceanic genetic differentiation among albacore (Thunnus alalunga) populations. Marine Biology 145, 225–232 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-004-1319-5

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