scholarly journals Genetic connectivity between Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae spawned in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Mediterranean Sea

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11568
Author(s):  
Carolina Johnstone ◽  
Montse Pérez ◽  
Estrella Malca ◽  
José María Quintanilla ◽  
Trika Gerard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Molecular Ecology ◽  
Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Structured Populations ◽  
Genetic Connectivity ◽  
Homing Behavior ◽  
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna ◽  
The Mediterranean

The highly migratory Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT) is currently managed as two distinct stocks, in accordance with natal homing behavior and population structuring despite the absence of barriers to gene flow. Larval fish are valuable biological material for tuna molecular ecology. However, they have hardly been used to decipher the ABFT population structure, although providing the genetic signal from successful breeders. For the first time, cooperative field collection of tuna larvae during 2014 in the main spawning area for each stock, the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and the Mediterranean Sea (MED), enabled us to assess the ABFT genetic structure in a precise temporal and spatial frame exclusively through larvae. Partitioning of genetic diversity at nuclear microsatellite loci and in the mitochondrial control region in larvae spawned contemporarily resulted in low significant fixation indices supporting connectivity between spawners in the main reproduction area for each population. No structuring was detected within the GOM after segregating nuclear diversity in larvae spawned in two hydrographically distinct regions, the eastern GOM (eGOM) and the western GOM (wGOM), with the larvae from eGOM being more similar to those collected in the MED than the larvae from wGOM. We performed clustering of genetically characterized ABFT larvae through Bayesian analysis and by Discriminant Analysis of Principal Components (DAPC) supporting the existence of favorable areas for mixing of ABFT spawners from Western and Eastern stocks, leading to gene flow and apparent connectivity between weakly structured populations. Our findings suggest that the eastern GOM is more prone for the mixing of breeders from the two ABFT populations. Conservation of this valuable resource exploited for centuries calls for intensification of tuna ichthyoplankton research and standardization of genetic tools for monitoring population dynamics.

scholarly journals A possible new spawning area for Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus): the first histologic evidence of reproductive activity in the southern Gulf of Mexico

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Cruz-Castán ◽  
Sámar Saber ◽  
David Macías ◽  
María José Gómez Vives ◽  
Gabriela Galindo-Cortes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Spawning Area ◽  
Spawning Areas ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
The Mediterranean

The number of studies of reproductive biology for Atlantic bluefin tuna carried out in the Gulf of Mexico is significantly lower than those undertaken in the Mediterranean Sea. Four spawning areas have been found for the eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna stock in the Mediterranean Sea, so it is not implausible that there is more than one spawning area in the Gulf of Mexico for the western Atlantic bluefin tuna stock. The individuals used in this study were caught as bycatch by the Mexican surface longline fleet between January and April 2015. A total of 63 individuals ranging between 192 and 293 cm LF (mean = 238 ± 22.52 cm) were measured. Gonads from 46 fish (31 females and 15 males) were collected for histological examination. All the individuals were classified as mature; 25 were reproductively active (in spawning capable and spawning stages). The histological analysis indicates spawning activity in Mexican waters (the southern Gulf of Mexico). Spawning occurred in March and April, when the sea surface temperature was 25.57 °C ± 0.69 in March and 27.03 °C ± 0.69 in April. Information on the location of the spawning areas is necessary for a correct management of species. The present study provides the first histological evidence of reproductive activity in Mexican waters, and indicates a wider spawning area, beyond just the northern zone, potentially encompassing the entire Gulf of Mexico.

scholarly journals Electronic Tagging of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus, L.) Reveals Habitat Use and Behaviors in the Mediterranean Sea

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e0116638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Cermeño ◽  
Gemma Quílez-Badia ◽  
Andrés Ospina-Alvarez ◽  
Susana Sainz-Trápaga ◽  
Andre M. Boustany ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Thunnus Thynnus ◽  
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Electronic Tagging

scholarly journals Spatio-temporal population structuring and genetic diversity retention in depleted Atlantic Bluefin tuna of the Mediterranean Sea

2010 ◽  
Vol 107 (5) ◽  
pp. 2102-2107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Riccioni ◽  
Monica Landi ◽  
Giorgia Ferrara ◽  
Ilaria Milano ◽  
Alessia Cariani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Effective Population Size ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Microsatellite Variation ◽  
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna ◽  
The Mediterranean

Fishery genetics have greatly changed our understanding of population dynamics and structuring in marine fish. In this study, we show that the Atlantic Bluefin tuna (ABFT, Thunnus thynnus), an oceanic predatory species exhibiting highly migratory behavior, large population size, and high potential for dispersal during early life stages, displays significant genetic differences over space and time, both at the fine and large scales of variation. We compared microsatellite variation of contemporary (n = 256) and historical (n = 99) biological samples of ABFTs of the central-western Mediterranean Sea, the latter dating back to the early 20th century. Measures of genetic differentiation and a general heterozygote deficit suggest that differences exist among population samples, both now and 96–80 years ago. Thus, ABFTs do not represent a single panmictic population in the Mediterranean Sea. Statistics designed to infer changes in population size, both from current and past genetic variation, suggest that some Mediterranean ABFT populations, although still not severely reduced in their genetic potential, might have suffered from demographic declines. The short-term estimates of effective population size are straddled on the minimum threshold (effective population size = 500) indicated to maintain genetic diversity and evolutionary potential across several generations in natural populations.

scholarly journals Potential feeding and spawning habitats of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea

2011 ◽  
Vol 439 ◽  
pp. 223-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
JN Druon ◽  
JM Fromentin ◽  
F Aulanier ◽  
J Heikkonen
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Spawning Habitats

PCB and OCP accumulation and evidence of hepatic alteration in the Atlantic bluefin tuna, T. thynnus, from the Mediterranean Sea

2016 ◽  
Vol 121 ◽  
pp. 40-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Maisano ◽  
Tiziana Cappello ◽  
Sabrina Oliva ◽  
Antonino Natalotto ◽  
Alessia Giannetto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna ◽  
The Mediterranean

Organic waste impact of capture-based Atlantic bluefin tuna aquaculture at an exposed site in the Mediterranean Sea

2008 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 369-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Vezzulli ◽  
Mariapaola Moreno ◽  
Valentina Marin ◽  
Elisabetta Pezzati ◽  
Marco Bartoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Organic Waste ◽  
Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Exposed Site ◽  
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna ◽  
The Mediterranean
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