Summary
Development of a comprehensive picture of the genetic population structure of the Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) has been hampered by a lack of genetic data from two major areas of the species' distribution, the Bellingshausen Sea and the Ross Sea. Evidence from earlier studies of a discrete “Bellingshausen Sea” population was based on anomalous allele frequencies in two sample sets that were collected near the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula rather than in the Bellingshausen Sea proper. In this paper we describe the first biochemical genetic data obtained on krill from the central Bellingshausen Sea and from the Ross Sea. Analyses of eight polymorphic loci in samples from these two areas have failed to provide any evidence of population structuring within the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean, and have indicated that Pacific sector krill cannot be genetically discriminated from Atlantic sector krill or Indian Ocean sector krill. These findings further support the hypothesis of a single circumpolar breeding population of Antarctic krill.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson RC (1982) Isozyme variation in euphausiids. PhD thesis, University of East Anglia, 184 pp
Ayala FJ, Valentine JW, Zumwalt GS (1975) An electrophoretic study of the Antarctic zooplankter Euphausia superba. Limnol Oceanogr 20:635–640
Brown AHD (1970) The estimation of Wrights's fixation index from genotypic frequencies. Genetica 41:399–406
Bucklin A (1986) The genetic structure of zooplankton populations. Unesco techn papers in Marine. Science 49:35–41
Bucklin A, Wiebe PH (1986) Genetic heterogeneity in cuphausiid populations: Euphausia krohnii and Nematoscelis megalops in North Atlantic slope water. Limnol Oceanogr 31:1346–1352
Burton R (1983) Protein polymorphism and genetic differentiation of marine invertebrate populations. Mar Biol Lett 4:193–206
Casareto BE, Nemoto T (1987) Latitudinal variation of the number of muscle fibres in Salpa thompsoni (Tunicata, Thaliacea) in the Southern Ocean: Implications for the validity of the species Salpa qerlachei. Proc NIPR Symp Polar Biol 1:90–104
Fevolden SE (1986) Genetic variation of Euphausia superba DANA in the Antarctic Peninsula waters. Sarsia 71:169–175
Fevolden SE (1988) Biochemical genetics and population structure of Euphausia superba. Comp Biochem Physiol 90B:507–513
Fevolden SE, Ayala FJ (1981) Enzyme polymorphism in Antarctic krill (Euphausiacea); genetic variation between populations and species. Sarsia 66:167–181
Fevolden SE, Schneppenheim R (1988) Genetic population structure of Euphausia superba DANA in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean as demonstrated by different electrophoretic techniques. Polar Biol 9:1–8
Hamner WM, Hamner PP, Strand SW, Gilmer RW (1983) Behaviour of Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba: chemoreception, feeding, schooling and molting. Science 220:433–435
Hedgecock D (1986) Is gene flow from pelagic larval dispersal important in the adaptation and evolution of marine invertebrates. Bull Mar Sci 39:550–564
Kanda K, Takagi K, Seki Y (1982) Movement of the larger swarms of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba off Enderby Land during 1976–1977 season. J Tokyo Univ Fish 68:25–42
Kirby GC (1975) Heterozygote frequencies in small subpopulations. Theor Popul Biol 8:31–48
Kühl S, Schneppenheim R (1986) Electrophoretic investigation of genetic variation in two krill species Euphausia superba and E. crystallorophias (Euphausiidea). Polar Biol 6:17–23
Li CC (1955) Population genetics. University of Chicago Press, 366 pp
MacDonald CM, Williams R, Adams M (1986) Genetic variation and population structure of krill (Euphausia superba DANA) from the Prydz Bay region of Antarctic waters. Polar Biol 6:233–236
Mackintosh NA (1973) Distribution of post-larval krill in the Antarctic. Discovery Rep 36:95–156
Makarov RR, Denys CJ (1982) Stages of sexual maturity of Euphausia superba DANA. SCAR/SCOR/IABO/ACMRR, Biomass Handbook No 11
Marcus NH (1986) Genetics, life histories, and pelagic biogeography. Unesco techn papers in Marine. Science 49:182–185
Marr JWS (1962) The natural history and geography of the Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba DANA). Discovery Rep 32:33–464
Maslennikov VV (1980) Modern concepts on the largescale-circulation of Antarctic water and routes of mass drift of Euphausia superba. TRUDY VNIRO, Biological resources of the Antarctic krill, ISSNO 372-2864:8–27
Nei M (1972) Genetic distance between populations. Am Nat 106:283–292
Richardson BJ, Baverstock PR, Adams M (1986) Allozyme electrophoresis. A handbook for animal systematics and population studies. Academic Press, Australia
Schneppenheim R, MacDonald CM (1984) Genetic variation and population structure of krill (Euphausia superba) in the Atlantic sector of the Antarctic Peninsula. Polar Biol 3:19–28
Schneppenheim R, Weigmann-Haass R (1986) Morphological and electrophoretic studies on the genus Themisto (Amphipoda: Hyperiidae) from the South and North Atlantic. Polar Biol 6:215–225
Siegel V (1987) Age and growth of Antarctic Euphausiacea (Crustacea) under natural conditions. Mar Biol 96:483–495
Siegel V (1988) A concept of seasonal variation of krill (Euphausia superba) distribution and abundance west of the Antarctic peninsula. In: Sahrhage D (ed) Antarctic Ocean and resource variability, Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 219–230
Swofford DL, Selander RB (1981) BIOSYS-1: a FORTRAN program for the comprehensive analysis of electrophoretic data in population genetics and systematics. J Hered 72:282–283
Wright S (1978) Evolution and the genetics of populations, vol 4. Variability within and among natural populations. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fevolden, S.E., Schneppenheim, R. Genetic homogeneity of krill (Euphausia superba Dana) in the Southern Ocean. Polar Biol 9, 533–539 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00261038
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00261038