Limits to gene flow in a cosmopolitan marine planktonic diatom
Casteleyn, G.; Leliaert, F.; Backeljau, T.; Debeer, A.-E.; Kotaki, Y.; Rhodes, L. L.; Lundholm, N.; Sabbe, K.; Vyverman, W. (2010). Limits to gene flow in a cosmopolitan marine planktonic diatom. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 107(29): 12952-12957. dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1001380107
In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. The Academy: Washington, D.C.. ISSN 0027-8424; e-ISSN 1091-6490, more
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| Keywords |
Aquatic communities > Plankton > Phytoplankton
Disciplines > Biology > Genetics > Population genetics > Gene flow
Marine/Coastal |
| Author keywords |
allopatric speciation; dispersal; marine cosmopolitan planktonicmicroorganisms; population structure; microsatellites |
| Authors | | Top |
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- Debeer, A.-E., more
- Kotaki, Y.
- Rhodes, L. L.
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| Abstract |
The role of geographic isolation in marine microbial speciation is hotly debated because of the high dispersal potential and large population sizes of planktonic microorganisms and the apparent lack of strong dispersal barriers in the open sea. Here, we show that gene flow between distant populations of the globally distributed, bloom-forming diatom species Pseudo-nitzschia pungens (clade I) is limited and follows a strong isolation by distance pattern. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis implies that under appropriate geographic and environmental circumstances, like the pronounced climatic changes in the Pleistocene, population structuring may lead to speciation and hence may play an important role in diversification of marine planktonic microorganisms. A better understanding of the factors that control population structuring is thus essential to reveal the role of allopatric speciation in marine microorganisms. |
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