Morphological Differentiation in the Damselfish Abudefduf saxatilis Along the Mexican Atlantic Coast is Associated with Environmental Factors and High Connectivity
Morphological Differentiation in the Damselfish Abudefduf saxatilis Along the Mexican Atlantic Coast is Associated with Environmental Factors and High Connectivity
复制标题
墨西哥大西洋沿岸雀鲷的形态分化与环境因素和高连通性有关
作者：
Victor J. Piñeros;O. Rios;C. Gutiérrez;Luis Mendoza
摘要
沿海地区代表了具有异质生态条件和潜在扩散障碍的环境，使其成为研究栖息于其中的生物的形态和遗传变异的理想系统。我们使用来自墨西哥大西洋沿岸沿着三个主要珊瑚礁系统的豆娘鱼Abudefduf saxatilis个体，检查了遗传和环境变异，以评估它们对身体和头部形状以及身体大小的相对贡献。我们确定是否有形态变异和环境因素之间的关系，是否形态，线粒体DNA（mtDNA）和微卫星变异是一致的。我们发现A. saxatilis个体来自图克斯潘，韦拉克鲁斯和墨西哥加勒比海珊瑚礁系统。身体和头部形状的差异涉及胸鳍和嘴的位置。来自图克斯潘和韦拉克鲁斯的个体比来自墨西哥加勒比地区的个体更大。此外，我们发现了一个显着的相关性之间的形状（身体和头部）和环境变量（叶绿素a，地转速度和温度），以及身体大小和叶绿素a浓度。线粒体DNA和微卫星标记检测到高水平的遗传多样性和缺乏群体遗传分化的珊瑚礁，礁系统和海洋区域之间。我们没有发现形态和遗传分化之间的相关性。我们的研究结果表明，A。saxatilis沿着墨西哥大西洋沿岸可能是由环境因素在基因流的存在。
Abstract
Coastal regions represent environments with heterogenic ecological conditions and with potential barriers to dispersal, making them ideal systems to study the variation of morphology and genetics of the organisms inhabiting them. Using individuals of the damselfish Abudefduf saxatilis from the three main reef systems along the Mexican Atlantic coast, we examined genetic and environmental variation to evaluate their relative contribution to body and head shape, and body size. We determined if there was a relationship between morphological variation and environmental factors and whether morphological, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellite variation were concordant. We found morphological differences among A. saxatilis individuals from the Tuxpan, Veracruz and Mexican Caribbean reef systems. Differences in body and head shape involved positions of pectoral fins and mouth. Individuals from Tuxpan and Veracruz were larger than those from the Mexican Caribbean. Furthermore, we found a significant correlation between shape (body and head) and environmental variables (chlorophyll-a, geostrophic velocity and temperature) as well as between body size and chlorophyll-a concentration. Both mtDNA and microsatellite markers detected high levels of genetic diversity and lack of population genetic differentiation among reefs, reef systems and between marine regions. We did not find a correlation between morphological and genetic differentiation. Our results suggest that the phenotypic differences of A. saxatilis along the Mexican Atlantic coast may be determined by environmental factors in the presence of gene flow.