Population Genomics Reveals Seahorses (Hippocampus erectus) of the Western Mid-Atlantic Coast to Be Residents Rather than Vagrants

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116219
• Publication Date: 2015-01-28T18:56:08Z
• Authors: J. T. Boehm; John Waldman; John D. Robinson; Michael J. Hickerson
• Keywords: Demographic history; Coalescent theory; Population genomics; Population Genetics

Understanding population structure and areas of demographic persistence transients is critical for effective species management. However, direct observational evidence to address the geographic scale delineation ephemeral or persistent populations many marine fishes limited. The Lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus) can be commonly found in three western Atlantic zoogeographic provinces, though inhabitants temperate northern Virginia Province are often considered tropical vagrants that only arrive during warm seasons from southern provinces perish as temperatures decline. Although genetics locate regions historical isolation, previous provisional due limited genetic sampling (i.e., mitochondrial DNA five nuclear loci). To test alternative hypotheses versus ephemerality a we used RADseq generated dataset consisting 11,708 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) sampled individuals collected eastern Gulf Mexico Long Island, NY. Concordant results genomic analyses all infer genetically divergent subpopulations, strongly support diverged historically ancestral gene pool. These suggest emerge coastal season "local" supports offshore migration colder months. This research demonstrates how large number genes across geographical range capture diversity coalescent histories (across loci) while inferring history. Moreover, these clearly demonstrate utility data peripheral subpopulation difficult-to-observe species.