Genetic structure and demographic inference of the regular sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri (Meissner, 1900) in the Southern Ocean: The role of the last glaciation

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197611
• Publication Date: 2018-06-06T17:30:48Z
• Authors: Angie Díaz; Karin Gérard; Claudio González-...; Claudia Maturana; Jean-Pierre Féral; Bruno David; Thomas Saucède; Elie Poulin
• Keywords: Refugium (fishkeeping); Last Glacial Maximum

One of the most relevant characteristics extant Southern Ocean fauna is its resiliency to survive glacial processes Quaternary. These climatic events produced catastrophic habitat reductions and forced some marine benthic species move, adapt or go extinct. The inhabiting Antarctic upper continental shelf faced Quaternary glaciations with different strategies that drastically modified population sizes thus affected amount distribution intraspecific genetic variation. Here we present new information for conspicuous regular sea urchin shelf, Sterechinus neumayeri. We studied patterns diversity structure in this broadcast-spawner across three regions: Peninsula, Weddell Sea Adélie Land East Antarctica. Genetic analyses based on mitochondrial nuclear markers suggested S. neumayeri a single unit around continent. characterized by low levels exhibits typical star-like haplotype genealogy supports hypothesis situ refugium. Based two mutation rates standardized genus, Bayesian Skyline plot detected rapid demographic expansion after Last Glacial Maximum. propose scenario postglacial recolonization shallow areas from less ice-impacted refugium where survived LGM. Considering recorded species, was probably located