title: AFLPs reveal different population genetic structure under contrasting environments in the marine snail Nucella lapillus L.
abstract: Dispersal has received growing attention in marine ecology, particularly since evidence obtained with up-to-date techniques challenged the traditional view. The dogwhelk Nucella lapillus L., a sedentary gastropod with direct development, is a good example: dispersal was traditionally assumed to be limited until studies with microsatellites disputed this idea. To shed some light on this controversy, the genetic structure of dogwhelk populations in northwest Spain was investigated with highly polymorphic AFLP markers giving special attention to the influence of hydrodynamic stress. In agreement with the expectations for a poor disperser, our results show a significant genetic structure at regional (<200 km) and areal scales (<15 km). However, the spatial genetic structure varied with wave-exposure in the present case study: IBD was evident under sheltered conditions but absent from the exposed area where genetic differentiation was stronger. Our results provide evidence that differences in wave-exposure can exert a detectable influence on the genetic structure of coastal organisms, even in species without a planktonic larva.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain. b.carro@udc.es
authors.forename: Belén
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Carro
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quintela
authors.forename: José Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barreiro
mesh_terms: D054458:Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; D000818:Animals; D004777:Environment; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D008386:Marine Biology; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D012908:Snails / Q000235:genetics*; D013030:Spain