Kin-Aggregations Explain Chaotic Genetic Patchiness, a Commonly Observed Genetic Pattern, in a Marine Fish.
The phenomenon of chaotic genetic patchiness is a pattern commonly seen in marine organisms, particularly those with demersal adults and pelagic larvae. This pattern is usually associated with sweepstakes recruitment and variable reproductive success. Here we investigate the biological underpinnings of this pattern in a species of marine goby Coryphopterus personatus. We find that populations of this species show tell-tale signs of chaotic genetic patchiness including: small, but significant, differences in genetic structure over short distances; a non-equilibrium or "chaotic" pattern of differentiation among locations in space; and within locus, within population deviations from the expectations of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). We show that despite having a pelagic larval stage, and a wide distribution across Caribbean coral reefs, this species forms groups of highly related individuals at small spatial scales (<10 metres). These spatially clustered family groups cause the observed deviations from HWE and local population differentiation, a finding that is rarely demonstrated, but could be more common than previously thought.
HoBi Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Texas, United States of America.
Jason D
0000-0002-9100-217X
JD
Selwyn
HoBi Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Texas, United States of America.
J Derek
JD
Hogan
Marine Science Center, Northeastern University, Nahant, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Alan M
AM
Downey-Wall
HoBi Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Texas, United States of America.
Lauren M
LM
Gurski
Marine Genomics Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Texas, United States of America.
David S
DS
Portnoy
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Daniel D
DD
Heath
D000818:Animals; D017691:Caribbean Region; D057894:Coral Reefs; D005399:Fishes / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D005828:Genetics, Population / Q000379:methods; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D010473:Perciformes / Q000235:genetics; D012098:Reproduction / Q000235:genetics