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Limited realized dispersal and introgressive hybridization influence genetic structure and conservation strategies for brown rockfish, Sebastes auriculatus

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Abstract

Understanding patterns of connectivity among marine fish populations with demersal adults and pelagic larvae is critical for effective conservation of west coast rockfishes. The brown rockfish (Sebastes auriculatus) occurs in nearshore habitat and is common from northern Baja California, Mexico to northern California, rare off the outer coast of Oregon and Washington and again common in the inland waters of Puget Sound, Washington. Here we examine patterns of microsatellite DNA diversity from throughout the species’ range as an indirect measure of long-term trends in larval dispersal. Genetic divergence was large and highly significant over all populations (F ST=0.056, P<0.0001), and was significantly correlated with geographic distance when considering coastal populations. The best estimates of mean coastal dispersal distance were on the order of 10 km or less per generation. Diversity was relatively low in the Puget Sound, suggesting that Puget Sound rockfish populations experienced a post-glacial founder effect followed by genetic isolation and low effective population size. Puget Sound individuals appeared to have recent mixed ancestry as a result of introgression with S. maliger and S. caurinus. Genetic isolation of Puget Sound fish provides a basis for consideration as a Distinct Population Segment (DPS) under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act. We recommend that coastal brown rockfish fisheries be managed at regional rather than coast-wide scales, and that design of marine reserve networks considers the surprisingly low realized dispersal distance of some species with high dispersal potential.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge all those who assisted in sample collection: J. West (WDFW), R. Pacunski/W. Palsson (WDFW), E. Roberts (CDFG), Bodega Bay port samplers, Bodega Marine Lab, J. Hyde (SIO), S. Grossberg, D. Bodenmiller/D. LaPoint (ODFW), C. Sowell/N. Wilsman (ODFW), P. Kalvass/P. Wright (CDFG), R. Leos/J. Haws (CDFG), D. Allen, R. Nakamura/T. Olive/A. Floyd (Cal Poly), D. Pondella (Vantuna Research Group), A. Vejar (CDFG), N. Kellar (SIO), J. Stannard, M. Shane (Hubbs Seaworld), A. Rocha (CICESE), R/V RG Sproul, R/V David Starr Jordan, C. Taylor (SIO), L. Seeb, and D. Pearson. Funding for this project was provided by (1) NOAA Office of Protected Resources CP-01-SWC-2 Defining Distinct Population Segments (DPS’s) for Copper and Brown Rockfish. to RDV, (2) Marine Life Management Act-Population Genetics of the Nearshore Groundfish, a contract between Cal. Dept. Fish and Game and Scripps Institute of Oceanography to RDV and J. Hunter, (3) California Sea Grant R/F 175 to RDV, and (4) California Sea Grant Marine Ecological Reserves Research Program project 4-M-N to RDV and G. Moser.

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  1. Vincent P. Buonaccorsi

    Present address: Department of Biology, Juniata College, 1700 Moore Street, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, 16652, USA

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  1. Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 8604 La Jolla Shores Dr., La Jolla, California, 92038, USA

    Vincent P. Buonaccorsi, Carol A. Kimbrell, Eric A. Lynn & Russell D. Vetter

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  1. Vincent P. Buonaccorsi
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Correspondence to Vincent P. Buonaccorsi.

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Buonaccorsi, V.P., Kimbrell, C.A., Lynn, E.A. et al. Limited realized dispersal and introgressive hybridization influence genetic structure and conservation strategies for brown rockfish, Sebastes auriculatus . Conserv Genet 6, 697–713 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-005-9029-1

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