Highly structured populations of copepods at risk to deep‐sea mining: Integration of genomic data with demogenetic and biophysical modelling

• DOI: 10.1111/mec.17340
• Publication Date: 2024-04-12T07:30:45Z
• Authors: Coral Diaz‐Recio ...; Adrien Tran Lu Y; Otis Brunner; Pedro Martínez Ar...; Didier Jollivet; Stefan Laurent; Sabine Gollner
• Keywords: Population genomics

Abstract Copepoda is the most abundant taxon in deep‐sea hydrothermal vents, where hard substrate available. Despite increasing interest seafloor massive sulphides exploitation, there have been no population genomic studies conducted on vent meiofauna, which are known to contribute over 50% metazoan biodiversity at vents. To bridge this knowledge gap, restriction‐site‐associated DNA sequencing, specifically 2b‐RADseq, was used retrieve thousands of genome‐wide single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from populations vent‐obligate copepod Stygiopontius lauensis Lau Basin. SNPs were investigate structure, demographic histories and genotype–environment associations a basin scale. Genetic analyses also helped evaluate suitability tailored larval dispersal models parameterization life‐history traits that better fit patterns observed dataset for target organism. Highly structured both spatial temporal scales, with divergence between north, mid, south estimated occurred after creation major transform fault dividing Australian Niuafo'ou tectonic plate (350 kya), relatively recent secondary contact events (<20 kya). Larval able predict high levels structure highly asymmetric northward low‐level gene flow data. These results differ megafauna region, elucidating need incorporate smaller size when considering site prospecting exploitation sulphides, area‐based management tools protect areas risk local extinction, should mining occur.