Browsing by Author "Velasco, Eva Maria"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Asymmetrical dispersal and putative isolation-by-distance of an intertidal blenniid across the atlantic–mediterranean dividePublication . Castilho, Rita; Cunha, Regina L.; Faria, Cláudia Barreiros Macedo de; Velasco, Eva Maria; Robalo, Joana IsabelTransition zones are of high evolutionary interest because unique patterns of spatial variation are often retained. Here, we investigated the phylogeography of the peacock blenny, Salaria pavo, a small marine intertidal fish that inhabits rocky habitats of the Mediterranean and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean. We screened 170 individuals using mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data from eight locations. Four models of genetic structure were tested: panmixia, isolation-by-distance, secondary contact and phylogeographic break. Results indicated clear asymmetric migration from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic but only marginally supported the isolation-by-distance model. Additionally, the species displays an imprint of demographic expansion compatible with the last glacial maximum. Although the existence of a refugium in the Mediterranean cannot be discarded, the ancestral lineage most likely originated in the Atlantic, where most of the genetic diversity occurs.
- Phylogeographic pattern and glacial refugia of a rocky shore species with limited dispersal capability: the case of Montagu’s blenny (Coryphoblennius galerita, Blenniidae)Publication . Francisco, Sara Martins; Almada, Vítor Carvalho; Faria, Cláudia Barreiros Macedo de; Velasco, Eva Maria; Robalo, Joana IsabelPhylogeographic patterns among coastal fishes are expected to be influenced by distinct ecological, biological and life history traits, along with historical events and oceanography (past and present). This study focuses on the broad range phylogeography of the Montagu’s blenny Coryphoblennius galerita, a species with well-known ecological features, strictly tied to rocky environments and with limited dispersal capability. Eleven locations from the western Mediterranean to the Bay of Biscay (including the Macaronesian archipelagos) were sampled. Mitochondrial DNA control region (CR) and the first intron of the S7 ribosomal protein gene were used to address the population structure, the signatures of expansion/contraction events retained in the genealogies and potential glacial refugia. The genetic diversity of the Montagu’s blenny was high throughout the sampled area, reaching maximum values in the Mediterranean and western Iberian Peninsula. The results confirmed a marked structure of C. galerita along the sampled area, with a major separation found between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic populations, and suggesting also a separation between the Azores and the remaining Atlantic locations. This study revealed complex and deep genealogies for this species, with Montagu’s blenny populations presenting signatures of events clearly older than the Last Glacial Maximum, with lineages coalescing in early Pleistocene and Pliocene. Three potential glacial refugia where this species might have survived Pleistocene glaciations and from where the recolonization process might have taken place are suggested: South of Iberian Peninsula/North Africa, Mediterranean and Azores.
- Phylogeography of the shanny Lipophrys pholis (Pisces: Blenniidae) in the NE Atlantic records signs of major expansion event older than the last glaciationPublication . Francisco, Sara Martins; Faria, Cláudia Barreiros Macedo de; Lengkeek, W.; Vieira, Maria Natividade; Velasco, Eva Maria; Almada, Vítor CarvalhoThe study of the phylogeography of inshore fish from West Europe is revealing diverse geographical and demographical patterns. Some species conform to the phylogeographic patterns typical of terrestrial organisms, with marked signatures of the last glaciation and a decline of genetic diversity to the north of the species range. Other species, however, reveal no decline in diversity with latitude and signatures of expansions older than the last glaciation. The shanny Lipophrys pholis is a common intertidal resident fish in west European rocky shores. It is unable to leave the rocky stretch where it settled as a juvenile, so that dispersal depends entirely on the planktonic larval stage. These life-history and behavioural traits make the shanny an interesting species for phylogeographical analysis, as long-range movements by adults, which could blur historical signals, are absent. In this paper the phylogeography of L. pholis was studied using a fragment of the mitochondrial control region and one from the first intron of the S7 ribosomal protein gene. The European samples (ranging from SW Spain to the Netherlands) did not display population differentiation, isolation-by-distance or latitudinal declines in genetic diversity. Iberia was proposed as having operated as the main glacial refugium for the shanny. The genealogy of the European population showed that the largest expansion detected was older than the last glaciation, with lineages persisting from the early Pleistocene, which does not conform to colonisation by a few founders in the current interglacial. It is argued that if fishes have very large population sizes and high dispersal rates, populations can efficiently track climatic shifts so that little or no genetic structure remains after each range expansion and latitudinal gradients of genetic diversity tend to be weak or non-existent.