Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Genetic differentiation between populations of Talitrus saltator and Talorchestia deshayesii (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from coastal areas of the north-western European continent

  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Electrophoretic studies of gene-enzyme variation in the littoral talitrids Talitrus saltator (Montagu) and Talorchestia deshayesii (Audouin) were undertaken to estimate the amount of divergence among geographically separated populations. Samples of both species were taken from sandy beaches over a transect of approximately 3 500 km along the coast of the European continent including Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic locations. A total of 22 T. saltator and 15 T. deshayesii populations were analysed for genetic variation at various enzyme loci. Both amphipods revealed relatively low levels of polymorphism and heterozygosity. Among the loci studied, phosphoglucose isomerase (Pgi) and phosphoglucomutase (Pgm) were highly polymorphic. Patterns of micro- and macrogeographic variation in terms of distributions of allele frequencies at these particular loci are compared. Interpopulation allozymic variation was shown to be lower in T. deshayesii than in T. saltator. As demonstrated by T. saltator populations sampled in coastal sites ranging from Denmark to western France, clinal variation in frequencies of two alleles became evident at the PGI locus, exhibiting a steady increase in the level of polymorphism with decreasing latitudes. It is argued that limited gene flow and, to some extent, random genetic drift may account for the gene pool structure of the talitrid species investigated.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature cited

  • Ayala, F. J. (Ed.): Molecular evolution, 276 pp. Sunderland, Mass.: Sinauer 1976

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayala, F. J., J. R. Powell, M. L. Tracey, C. A. Mourão and S. Pérez-Salas: Enzyme variability in the Drosophila willistoni group. IV. Genetic variation in natural populations of Drosophila willistoni. Genetics 70, 113–139 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Battaglia, B., P. M. Bisol and G. Fava: Genetic variability in relation to the environment in some marine invertebrates. In: Marine organisms, pp 53–70. Ed. by B. Battaglia and J. A. Beardmore. New York: Plenum Press 1978

    Google Scholar 

  • Borowsky, R.: Environmental control of amylase phenotype in amphipods of the genus Gammarus. Biol. Bull mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 167, 647–657 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • Borowsky, R., B. Borowsky, H. Milani and P. Greenberg: Amylase variation in the salt marsh amphipod, Gammarus palustris. Genetics 111, 311–323 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bulnheim, H.-P.: Genetic differentiation between natural populations of Gammarus tigrinus (Crustacea, Amphipoda) with reference to its range extension in European continental waters. Arch. Hydrobiol. 102, 273–290 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bulnheim, H.-P. and A. Scholl: Genetic variation between geographic populations of the amphipods Gammarus zaddachi and G. salinus. Mar. Biol. 64, 105–115 (1981a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bulnheim, H.-P. and A. Scholl: Electrophoretic approach to the biochemical systematics of gammarids. Helgoländer Meeresunters. 34, 391–400 (1981b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bulnheim, H.-P. and A. Scholl: Polymorphism of mannose phosphate isomerase in North Sea and Baltic Sea populations of the amphipods Gammarus zaddachi and G. salinus. Mar. Biol. 71, 163–166 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • Burton, R. S.: Protein polymorphisms and genetic differentiation of marine invertebrate populations. Mar. Biol. Lett. 4, 193–206 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Clayton, J. W. and D. N. Tretiak: Amine-citrate buffers for pH control in starch gel electrophoresis. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 29, 1169–1172 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Corbin, K. W.: Phosphoglucose isomerase polymorphism and natural selection in the sand crab, Emerita talpoida. Evolution 31, 331–340 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dahl, E.: The Amphipoda of the sound. Part I: Terrestrial Amphipoda. Lunds Univ. Arssk. (Adv. 2) 42, 1–53 (1946)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickson, G. W., J. C. Patton, J. R. Holsinger and J. C. Avise: Genetic variation in cave-dwelling and deep-sea organisms, with emphasis on Crangonyx antennatus (Crustacea: Amphipoda) in Virginia. Brimleyana 2, 119–130 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Endler, J. A.: Geographic variation, speciation and clines, 246 pp. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press 1977

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson, A.: Biochemical systematics and evolution, 194 pp. Glasgow: Blackie 1980

    Google Scholar 

  • Fevolden, S. E. and F. J. Ayala: Enzyme polymorphism in Antarctic krill (Euphausiacea); genetic variation between populations and species. Sarsia 66, 167–181 (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gillespie, J. H. and C. H. Langley: A general model to account for enzyme variation in natural populations. Genetics 76, 837–848 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gooch, J. L. and S. W. Hetrick: The relation of genetic structure to environmental structure Gammarus minus in a Karst area. Evolution 33, 192–206 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, H. and D. A. Hopkinson: Handbook of enzyme electrophoresis in human genetics, 306 pp. Amsterdam: North Holland 1976

    Google Scholar 

  • Hedgecock, D., M. L. Tracey and K. Nelson: Genetics. In: The biology of Crustacea, pp 283–403. Ed. by E. Bliss. New York: Academie Press 1982

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, G. B.: Genetic polymorphism and enzyme function. In: Molecular evolution, pp 46–59. Ed. by F. J. Ayala. Sunderland, Mass: Sinauer 1976

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimura, M.: the neutral theory of molecular evolution. Scient. Am. 241, 94–104 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Koehn, R. K.: Physiology and biochemistry of enzyme variation: the interface of ecology and population genetics. In: Ecological genetics: the interface, pp 51–72 Ed. by P. F. Brussard: New York: Springer 1978

    Google Scholar 

  • Koehn, R. K., R. Milkman and J. B. Mitton: Population genetics of marine pelecypods. IV. Selection, migration and genetic differentiation in the blue mussel Mytilus edulis. Evolution 30, 2–32 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolding, S. and V. Simonson: Phylogenetic relationships of five species of the amphipod genus Gammarus. Zool. Scr. 12, 215–220 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Levins, R.: Evolution in changing environments, 120 pp. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press 1968

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewontin, R. C.: The genetic basis of evolutionary change, 346 pp. New York: Columbia Univ. Press 1974

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, J. H.: Size-related and geographic variation at 2 enzyme loci in Megalorchestia californiana (Amphipoda: Talitridae). Heredity 54, 359–366 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Murdock, E. A., A. Ferguson and R. Seed: Geographical variation in leucine aminopeptidase in Mytilus edulis L. from the Irish coasts. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 19, 33–41 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nei, M.: Genetic distance between populations. Am. Nat. 106, 283–292 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, K. and D. Hedgecock: Enzyme polymorphism and adaptive strategy in the decapod Crustacea. Am. Nat. 116, 238–280 (1980)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nevo, E.: Genetic variation in natural populations: patterns and theory. Theor. Pop. Biol. 13, 121–177 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nevo, E., A. Beiles and R. Ben-Shlomo: The evolutionary significance of genetic diversity: ecological, demographic and life history correlates. Lect. Notes Biomath. 53, 13–213 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • Scholl, A., B. Corzilius and W. Villwock: Beitrag zur Verwandtschaftsanalyse altweltlicher Zahnkarpfen der Tribus Aphaniini (Pisces, Cyprinodontidae) mit Hilfe elektrophoretischer Untersuchungsmethoden. Z. zool. Syst. Evolutionsforsch. 16, 116–132 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schopf, T. and J. L. Gooch: Gene frequencies in a marine ectoproct: a cline in natural populations. Evolution 25, 286–289 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schopf, T. J. M.: Survey of genetic differentiation in a coastal zone invertebrate: the ectoproct Schizoporella errata. Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 146, 78–87 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Selander, R. K., M. H. Smith, S. Y. Yang, W. E. Johnaon and J. B. Gentry: IV. Biochemical polymorphism and systematics in the genus Peromyscus. I. Variation in the old-field mouse. Stud. Genet. VI. Univ. Texas Publ. 7103 (6), 49–90 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegismund, H. R., V. Simonsen and S. Kolding: Genetic studies of Gammarus. Hereditas 102, 1–13 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegismund, H. R.: Genetic studies of Gammarus. II. Geographical variation at polymorphic enzyme loci in Gammarus salinus and Gammarus oceanicus. Hereditas 102, 15–23 (1985a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegismund, H. R.: Genetic studies of Gammarus. III. Inheritance of electrophoretic variants of the enzymes mannose phosphate isomerase and glucose phosphate isomerase in Gammarus oceanicus. Hereditas 102, 25–31 (1985b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegismund, H. R.: Genetic studies of Gammarus. IV. Selection component analysis of the Gpi and Mpi loci in Gammarus oceanicus. Hereditas 102, 241–250 (1985c)

    Google Scholar 

  • Valen, L. van: Morphological variation and width of ecological niche. Am. Nat. 99, 377–390 (1965)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ward, R. D. and J. A. Beardmore: Protein variation in the plaice, Pleuronectes platessa L. Genet. Res. 30, 45–62 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wildish, D. J.: Talitroidea (Crustacea, Amphipoda) and the driftwood ecological niche. Can. J. Zool. 60, 3071–3074 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biologische Anstalt Helgoland (Zentrale), Notkestraße 31, D-2000, Hamburg 52, Federal Republic of Germany

    H. -P. Bulnheim

  2. Zoologisches Institut, Universität Bern, Baltzerstraße 3, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland

    A. Scholl

Authors
  1. H. -P. Bulnheim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. Scholl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bulnheim, H.P., Scholl, A. Genetic differentiation between populations of Talitrus saltator and Talorchestia deshayesii (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from coastal areas of the north-western European continent. Mar. Biol. 92, 525–536 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392512

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392512

Keywords

Search

Navigation