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Genetic differentiation between morphotypes in the Antarctic limpet Nacella concinna as revealed by inter-simple sequence repeat markers

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Abstract

The limpet Nacella concinna (Strebel 1908) was the focus of numerous studies dealing with Antarctic benthos. One of the main characteristics of the species is the presence of two distinguishable morphotypes, one inhabiting the intertidal (during summer) and the other inhabiting the subtidal. For a long time these forms were considered as an expression of phenotypic plasticity, since previous studies did not found genetic differences between them. In the present work, we performed both a morphometric and a genetic differentiation analysis (using ISSR-PCR markers) of these two forms in three stations sampled at Potter Cove, South Shetland Islands. The results confirmed the morphological differences between intertidal and subtidal forms reported in other Antarctic localities. The genetic differences detected indicate that the two forms can be considered as genetically distinct populations maintaining low levels of gene flow. The degree of reproductive isolation of the ecotypes is discussed, as well as the possible origin of the divergence. The genetic differentiation observed can also have behavioral and physiological correlates, pointing out the importance of taking into account the potential differences in the response of both populations to different conditions in future studies in this species.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the members of Jubany station for their cooperation in the field work especially to J. Antacli and A. Stellfeldt. We are also grateful to Doris Abele, Melody Clark and three anonymous reviewers whose comments and suggestions greatly improved this manuscript. We also thank the Instituto Antártico Argentino and CONICET for their financial and logistic support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cátedra de Genética de Poblaciones y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Avenida Vélez Sársfield 299, Córdoba, Argentina

    M. Carla de Aranzamendi & Marina B. Chiappero

  2. Ecología Marina, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Avenida Vélez Sársfield 299, Córdoba, Argentina

    M. Carla de Aranzamendi, Ricardo Sahade & Marcos Tatián

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  1. M. Carla de Aranzamendi
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  2. Ricardo Sahade
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  3. Marcos Tatián
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  4. Marina B. Chiappero
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Correspondence to Ricardo Sahade.

Additional information

Communicated by T. Reusch.

M. C. de Aranzamendi and R. Sahade contributed equally to this paper.

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de Aranzamendi, M.C., Sahade, R., Tatián, M. et al. Genetic differentiation between morphotypes in the Antarctic limpet Nacella concinna as revealed by inter-simple sequence repeat markers. Mar Biol 154, 875–885 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-008-0980-5

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