title: Genetic architecture of the marbled goby Pomatoschistus marmoratus (Perciformes, Gobiidae) in the Mediterranean Sea.
abstract: The marbled goby Pomatoschistus marmoratus, a species inhabiting coastal Mediterranean lagoons, has been studied by measuring its mitochondrial DNA variation. This analysis revealed a Mediterranean west vs east split and, subsequently, an eastern differentiation among the Libyan-Tunisian Gulf, the Adriatic Sea and the Aegean Sea. The high cohesion between the samples collected in the vast area of western Mediterranean contrasts with the genetic mosaic of the more sub-structured eastern Mediterranean. This western homogeneity can not yet be fully explained even if a human-mediated migratory flow, due to a maritime traffic, has been posited. The pattern in the eastern basin revealed a genetic architecture possibly due to the non-migratory habit of the gobid. Within this perspective, the role of the Mediterranean lagoon habitat should be related to how much it amplifies the effects of historical (e.g. past sea-level changes) and environmental (e.g. present-day hydrographic regime) processes as regards the genetic structure of the inhabiting species.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Recherche de Biologie, Ecologie et Parasitologie des Organismes Aquatiques, Département de Biologie, Tunis El Manar 2092, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Randa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mejri
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arculeo
authors.forename: Oum Kalthoum Ben
authors.initials: OK
authors.lastname: Hassine
authors.forename: Sabrina Lo
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Brutto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006239:Haplotypes; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D010473:Perciformes / Q000235:genetics*; D058974:Phylogeography; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial