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Genetic differentiation independent of intertidal gradients in the pulmonate limpet Siphonaria kurracheensis

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Abstract

The intertidal limpet Siphonaria kurracheensis (Reeve, 1856) has a bimodal vertical distribution of abundance on rocky shores at Rottnest Island, Western Australia. An electrophoretic study of 5 polymorphic enzymes revealed no consistent genetic differences between adults high and low on the shore. Contrasting with this absence of a detectable genetic response to the steep environmental gradients in the intertidal zone, there were genetic differences among low-shore adults from different sites, and between adults and recruits. This genetic differentiation could be due to either localized selection or temporal variation in the genetic makeup of recruits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Western Australia, 6009, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia

    R. Black & M. S. Johnson

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  1. R. Black
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  2. M. S. Johnson
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Communicated by G. F. Humphrey, Sydney

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Black, R., Johnson, M.S. Genetic differentiation independent of intertidal gradients in the pulmonate limpet Siphonaria kurracheensis . Marine Biology 64, 79–84 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00394083

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00394083

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