Premium
Insights into the genetic structure of the rabbitfish Chimaera monstrosa (Holocephali) across the Atlantic‐Mediterranean transition zone
Author(s) -
Catarino D.,
Stanković D.,
Menezes G.,
Stefanni S.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/jfb.13404
Subject(s) - biology , biological dispersal , mediterranean climate , mediterranean sea , pleistocene , mitochondrial dna , mtdna control region , transition zone , limiting , gene flow , chimera (genetics) , haplotype , ecology , zoology , oceanography , fishery , paleontology , genetic variation , gene , population , genetics , geology , demography , geochemistry , sociology , mechanical engineering , genotype , engineering
A comparison of the genetic structure of Chimaera monstrosa populations from the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea was carried out using mitochondrial DNA analysis. Results indicate high and significant pairwise Φ ST values with no shared haplotypes between the two areas. Furthermore, migration rate estimates suggested absence of gene flow between the two basins. These findings, coupled with the species vertical distribution, suggest that the shallow depth of the Strait of Gibraltar may act as a barrier limiting the dispersal capabilities of these populations, which likely became separated at the end of the middle Pleistocene.