High Connectivity of the White Seabream (Diplodus sargus, L. 1758) in the Aegean Sea, Eastern Mediterranean Basin
by
, and
Athanasios Exadactylos
1,*
,
Dimitrios Vafidis
1, 
Costas S. Tsigenopoulos
2
and
Georgios A. Gkafas
1,* 
1
Department of Ichthyology and Aquatic Environment, School of Agriculture Sciences, University of Thessaly, 38446 Volos, Greece
2
Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2019, 9(11), 979; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9110979
Submission received: 7 October 2019
/
Revised: 13 November 2019
/
Accepted: 14 November 2019
/
Published: 15 November 2019
(This article belongs to the Section Ecology and Conservation)
Simple Summary
Population dynamics is important for the estimation of the ecology and conservation status of the species in question. Levels of genetic structure, connectivity, gene flow and genetic diversity often di er in the marine environment due to the apparent lack of barriers. In the present study, the population structure of a highly economical species, the white seabream, was evaluated using short tandem repeats. Results suggest high connectivity in the Aegean sea, eastern Mediterranean sea, indicating the possibility of a probable movement of adult migrants or strong passive drift at sea in the early life stages of the species. However, it is clear that di erent species within the Sparidae family favor altered strategies, as discussed in the study, and information of this kind needs to be evaluated by ecologists with respect to potential di erent conservation and resources-management policies for the eastern Mediterranean basin.
Abstract
Population dynamics in the marine realm can shape species’ spatial structure and genetic variability between given geographical areas. Connectivity is an important factor of species’ population structure. In this study, we examined the genetic diversity and structure of white seabream (Diplodus sargus, L. 1758) in the eastern Mediterranean basin, using a panel of four microsatellite markers. Recorded low FST values within the study area indicate little evidence of genetic differentiation among populations. Results suggest high gene flow which may imply near-panmixia between populations, indicating the possibility of a probable movement of adult migrants, or strong passive drift at sea in early life stages of the species. To this extent, bibliographically speaking, different species within the Sparidae family favor altered population dynamics patterns with respect to local populations and genetic divergence, in the context of the molecular marker used.
Keywords:
connectivity; Mediterranean; population structure; microsatellites
