Genetic diversity and population structure of the commercially harvested sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata, Echinoidea)

Sea urchins play important roles in marine ecosystems as key herbivores and some species have wide geographic range. The Atlantic white sea urchin Tripneustes ventricosus is abundant in many rock reefs of the eastern and western Atlantic, and may be found in high densities in Atolls and Archipelagos. Despite the importance of sea urchins in insular ecosystems, there is no study evaluating the genetic structure and the origin of the white sea urchin in isolated ecosystems. Such information is crucial to understand the connectivity and genetic diversity of these populations from the tropical Atlantic provinces. To evaluate the origin of the white sea urchin in Fernando de Noronha Archipelago and the genetic features of this population, we conducted studies on the population structure of the white sea urchin using mitochondrial DNA (COI), in two regions within the Brazilian biogeographic province and compared with other regions in the Atlantic. The white sea urchin from Fernando de Noronha was found to be genetically distinct, with FST ranging from 0.3 to 0.9 from other populations in Atlantic. The sharing of haplotypes between the Brazilian coast and the archipelago suggests that insular species derived from the Brazilian coast, rather than the East Atlantic. Moreover, all other Atlantic populations were genetically isolated, with low genetic diversity being a common characteristic among them (ranging from 0.0011 to 0.0022). The low connectivity found within populations might be related to the presence of soft barriers among the Brazilian biogeographic province. The low nucleotide diversity may also suggest that T. ventricosus may have undergone bottleneck processes at some stage of their evolution. This study has important implications on the geographic distribution, population structure and gene flow of the white sea urchin among the Atlantic regions. Further studies should evaluate the biological and ecological aspects of the species in both insular and continental marine ecosystems.

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Spatial distribution patterns and population structure of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea), in the coastal fishery of western Sardinia: a geostatistical analysis

Scientia Marina ◽

10.3989/scimar.03602.26b ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Piero Addis ◽

Marco Secci ◽

Alberto Angioni ◽

Angelo Cau

Keyword(s):

Population Structure ◽

Spatial Distribution ◽

Sea Urchin ◽

Paracentrotus Lividus ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Geostatistical Analysis ◽

Spatial Distribution Patterns

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Genetic diversity, population structure, and demographic history of exploited sea urchin populations (Tripneustes gratilla) in the Philippines

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology ◽

10.1016/j.jembe.2013.09.012 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 449 ◽

pp. 284-293 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Inggat Laya N. Casilagan ◽

Marie Antonette Juinio-Meñez ◽

Eric D. Crandall

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Sea Urchin ◽

Demographic History ◽

The Philippines ◽

Tripneustes Gratilla ◽

History Of

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Spatio-temporal patterns based on demographic and genetic diversity of the purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus in the area around Corsica (Mediterranean Sea)

Mediterranean Marine Science ◽

10.12681/mms.14184 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 620 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

SOPHIE DUCHAUD ◽

ERIC D.H. DURIEUX ◽

STEPHANE COUPE ◽

VANINA PASQUALINI ◽

SONIA TERNENGO

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Sea Urchin ◽

Sea Urchins ◽

Paracentrotus Lividus ◽

Population Densities ◽

Genetic Structuring ◽

High Genetic Diversity ◽

Size Classes ◽

Purple Sea Urchin ◽

Spatio Temporal

Sea urchins were harvested for decades in many areas throughout its distribution range, potentially leading to population collapse. In France, the purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus is intensively harvested. Yet, the demography and population dynamics remained under-documented, particularly in Corsica. In this context, we have characterized the fluctuations in density of several size classes at 8 sites around the island, and assessed the genetic diversity and structuring of the population. Densities recorded lie between 0 and 2.18 (± 0.41) individuals.m-2 and spatio-temporal variabilities have also been highlighted. The study of the influence of vegetation cover on the size classes suggests that small- and medium- sized individuals prefer substrates of intermediate heights, whereas individuals with a diameter ≥ 5 cm are more often observed on encrusting substrates, and may be responsible for the continuation of this type of benthic community. The genetic study indicates a high genetic diversity with a low genetic structuring. The Ne values obtained are similar to those described in previous papers. Due to estimates of local contemporary Ne and the homogeneous genetic diversity, our data tend to show that the Corsican population of P. lividus is not overexploited.

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Haplotype distribution and connectivity of the white sea urchin Tripneustes ventricosus across the Brazilian biogeographic province

10.7287/peerj.preprints.2529v1 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Wander O Godinho ◽

Rodrigo Maggioni ◽

Ana L Lacerda ◽

Tito M C Lotufo

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Sea Urchin ◽

White Sea ◽

Sea Urchins ◽

Marine Ecosystems ◽

Brazilian Coast ◽

The White Sea ◽

Biogeographic Province ◽

Fernando De Noronha

Sea urchins play important roles in marine ecosystems as key herbivores and some species have wide geographic range. The Atlantic white sea urchin Tripneustes ventricosus is abundant in many rock reefs of the eastern and western Atlantic, and may be found in high densities in Atolls and Archipelagos. Despite the importance of sea urchins in insular ecosystems, there is no study evaluating the genetic structure and the origin of the white sea urchin in isolated ecosystems. Such information is crucial to understand the connectivity and genetic diversity of these populations from the tropical Atlantic provinces. To evaluate the origin of the white sea urchin in Fernando de Noronha Archipelago and the genetic features of this population, we conducted studies on the population structure of the white sea urchin using mitochondrial DNA (COI), in two regions within the Brazilian biogeographic province and compared with other regions in the Atlantic. The white sea urchin from Fernando de Noronha was found to be genetically distinct, with FST ranging from 0.3 to 0.9 from other populations in Atlantic. The sharing of haplotypes between the Brazilian coast and the archipelago suggests that insular species derived from the Brazilian coast, rather than the East Atlantic. Moreover, all other Atlantic populations were genetically isolated, with low genetic diversity being a common characteristic among them (ranging from 0.0011 to 0.0022). The low connectivity found within populations might be related to the presence of soft barriers among the Brazilian biogeographic province. The low nucleotide diversity may also suggest that T. ventricosus may have undergone bottleneck processes at some stage of their evolution. This study has important implications on the geographic distribution, population structure and gene flow of the white sea urchin among the Atlantic regions. Further studies should evaluate the biological and ecological aspects of the species in both insular and continental marine ecosystems.

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