Genetic Evidence Supports Larval Retention in the Western Caribbean for an Invertebrate With High Dispersal Capability (Ophiothrix suensonii: Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea)

Authors

Vincent P. Richards, Nova Southeastern University; Clemson University
Melissa B. DeBiasse, Nova Southeastern University
Mahmood S. Shivji, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow

ResearcherID

G-4080-2013

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Coral Reefs

ISSN

0722-4028

Publication Date

3-1-2015

Keywords

Brittle star, Caribbean, Cryptic species, Echinoderm, Genetic connectivity, Population demography

Abstract

The brittle star Ophiothrix suensonii is a common coral reef sponge commensal with high dispersal potential. Here, we utilize COI sequence data from 264 O. suensonii individuals collected from 10 locations throughout Florida and the Caribbean to investigate dispersal dynamics and demographic history. Locations separated by up to 1,700 km lacked genetic differentiation, confirming the ability for long-range dispersal. However, significant differentiation was detected among other regions. Samples from Utila, Honduras showed the greatest differentiation, suggesting that the circulation of the Mesoamerican gyre could be a significant factor restricting gene flow in this region. Demographic analyses provided strong evidence for a population expansion, possibly out of Florida, through the Caribbean, and into Honduras, which commenced in the early Pleistocene. However, the presence of a clade of rare haplotypes, which split much earlier (mid-Pliocene), indicates that O. suensonii persisted long before its recent expansion, suggesting a cyclic history of population contraction and expansion. Finally, patterns of gene flow are not concordant with contemporary surface currents; rather, they reflect historical movements possibly linked with changes in circulation during periods of Pleistocene climate change.

DOI

10.1007/s00338-014-1237-z

Volume

34

Issue

1

First Page

313

Last Page

325

Comments

©Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014

Additional Comments

NOAA Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Science award #: NA12NOS4260144

NSUWorks Citation

Vincent P. Richards, Melissa B. DeBiasse, and Mahmood S. Shivji. 2015. Genetic Evidence Supports Larval Retention in the Western Caribbean for an Invertebrate With High Dispersal Capability (Ophiothrix suensonii: Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea) .Coral Reefs , (1) : 313 -325. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facarticles/349.