TY - JOUR

T1 - Fine-scale seascape genomics of an exploited marine species, the common cockle Cerastoderma edule, using a multi-modelling approach

AU - Coscia, Ilaria

AU - Wilmes, Sophie-Berenice

AU - Ironside, J.E.

AU - Goward Brown, Alice

AU - O'Dea, Enda

AU - Malham, Shelagh

AU - McDevitt, AD

AU - Robins, Peter

N1 - © 2020 The Authors. Evolutionary Applications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2020/9

Y1 - 2020/9

N2 - Population dynamics of marine species that are sessile as adults are driven by oceanographic dispersal of larvae from spawning to nursery grounds. This is mediated by life-history traits such as the timing and frequency of spawning, larval behaviour and duration, and settlement success. Here, we use 1725 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to study the fine-scale spatial genetic structure in the commercially important cockle species Cerastoderma edule and compare it to environmental variables and current-mediated larval dispersal within a modelling framework. Hydrodynamic modelling employing the NEMO Atlantic Margin Model (AMM15) was used to simulate larval transport and estimate connectivity between populations during spawning months (April-September), factoring in larval duration and interannual variability of ocean currents. Results at neutral loci reveal the existence of three separate genetic clusters (mean F ST = 0.021) within a relatively fine spatial scale in the north-west Atlantic. Environmental association analysis indicates that oceanographic currents and geographic proximity explain over 20% of the variance observed at neutral loci, while genetic variance (71%) at outlier loci was explained by sea surface temperature extremes. These results fill an important knowledge gap in the management of a commercially important and overexploited species, bringing us closer to understanding the role of larval dispersal in connecting populations at a fine geographic scale.

AB - Population dynamics of marine species that are sessile as adults are driven by oceanographic dispersal of larvae from spawning to nursery grounds. This is mediated by life-history traits such as the timing and frequency of spawning, larval behaviour and duration, and settlement success. Here, we use 1725 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to study the fine-scale spatial genetic structure in the commercially important cockle species Cerastoderma edule and compare it to environmental variables and current-mediated larval dispersal within a modelling framework. Hydrodynamic modelling employing the NEMO Atlantic Margin Model (AMM15) was used to simulate larval transport and estimate connectivity between populations during spawning months (April-September), factoring in larval duration and interannual variability of ocean currents. Results at neutral loci reveal the existence of three separate genetic clusters (mean F ST = 0.021) within a relatively fine spatial scale in the north-west Atlantic. Environmental association analysis indicates that oceanographic currents and geographic proximity explain over 20% of the variance observed at neutral loci, while genetic variance (71%) at outlier loci was explained by sea surface temperature extremes. These results fill an important knowledge gap in the management of a commercially important and overexploited species, bringing us closer to understanding the role of larval dispersal in connecting populations at a fine geographic scale.

KW - Irish Sea

KW - RADseq

KW - larval dispersal

KW - particle tracking

KW - population connectivity

KW - redundancy analysis

U2 - 10.1111/eva.12932

DO - 10.1111/eva.12932

M3 - Article

C2 - 32908590

VL - 13

SP - 1854

EP - 1867

JO - Evolutionary Applications

JF - Evolutionary Applications

SN - 1752-4571

IS - 8

ER -