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Genetic variability and differentiation among polymorphic populations of the genus Synoicum (Tunicata, Ascidiacea) from the South Shetland Islands

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Abstract

In Antarctica, ascidians are among the most conspicuous and abundant organisms in benthic ecosystems and many species present wide distribution patterns. Two similar forms of ascidians of the colonial genus Synoicum were sampled along the South Shetland Islands, one greenish-yellow with elongated colony stalks and the other yellow-orange with shorter stalks and more rounded colony bodies. The taxonomic analyses indicated that the greenish-yellow form corresponded to the description of the species S. ostentor and the yellow-orange form to that of S. adareanum. However, molecular analyses using the cytochrome oxidase I gene did not detect clear differences between both forms. The frequency and geographic distribution of haplotypes indicate that some degree of gene flow may be occurring, strongly suggesting that both morphotypes did not achieve a complete reproductive isolation yet, that they can still interbreed and should therefore be considered as a single species. Surprisingly, these results are not in line with recent studies of Antarctic fauna using a similar approach, which revealed several cases of morphologically indistinguishable but genetically distinct species.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the crew and participants of the BENTART-06 (BIO Hespérides) for their help and assistance and Ana Ramos for her support. We are grateful to Milagros Demarchi and Cristian Lagger who helped in collecting part of the samples. Financial and logistic supports were provided by the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto Antártico Argentino (IAA), Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (FONCyT) and the National University of Córdoba.

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  1. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (CONICET/UNC), Avenida Vélez Sarsfield 299, 5000, Córdoba, Argentina

    M. Paula Wiernes, Ricardo Sahade, Marcos Tatián & Marina B. Chiappero

  2. Ecología Marina, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina

    M. Paula Wiernes, Ricardo Sahade & Marcos Tatián

  3. Genética de Poblaciones y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina

    Marina B. Chiappero

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  1. M. Paula Wiernes
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Correspondence to M. Paula Wiernes.

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Wiernes, M.P., Sahade, R., Tatián, M. et al. Genetic variability and differentiation among polymorphic populations of the genus Synoicum (Tunicata, Ascidiacea) from the South Shetland Islands. Polar Biol 36, 871–883 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-013-1312-x

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