Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Allozyme and mitochondrial DNA evidence of population subdivision in the purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Despite high potential for dispersal, the purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus was found to have significant genetic subdivision among locations. Ten geographic locations along the coast of California and Baja California were sampled between 1994 and 1995. Samples from some locations included both adult and recruit urchins. Allozyme analyses revealed a genetic mosaic, where differentiation over short geographic distances could exceed differentiation over much larger distances. Significant allozyme differentiation was found among subpopulations of adults (standardized variance, F ST =0.033), among subpopulations of recruits (F ST =0.037), and between adults and recruits from the same location. DNA-sequence data for the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene also showed significant heterogeneity among locations, with a mild break in haplotype frequencies observed ≃ 300 km south of Point Conception. California. Repeated sampling over time is necessary to determine whether these patterns of differentiation are stable and to begin to understand what forces produce them.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Avise JC (1992) Molecular population structure and the biogeographic history of a regional fauna: a case history with lessons for conservation biology. Oikos 63: 62–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Britten RJ, Cetta A, Davidson EH (1978) The single-copy DNA sequence polymorphism of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Cell 15: 1175–1186

    Google Scholar 

  • Bucklin A, Hedgecock D (1982) Biochemical genetic evidence for a third species of Metridium (Coelenterata: Actiniaria). Mar Biol 66: 1–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Buroker NE (1983) Population genetics of the American oyster Crassostrea virginica along the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. Mar Biol 75: 99–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Burton RS (1983) Protein polymorphisms and genetic differentiation of marine invertebrate populations. Mar Biol Lett 4: 193–206

    Google Scholar 

  • Burton RS, Feldman MW (1981) Population genetics of Tigriopus californicus. II. Differentiation among neighboring populations. Evolution 35: 1192–1205

    Google Scholar 

  • Burton RS, Lee B-N (1994) Nuclear and mitochondrial gene genealogies and allozyme polymorphism across a major phylogeographic break in the copepod Tigriopus californicus. Proc natn Acad Sci USA 91: 5197–5201

    Google Scholar 

  • Ebert TA, Russell MP (1988) Latitudinal variation in size structure of the west coast purple urchin: a correlation with headlands. Limnol Oceanogr 33: 286–294

    Google Scholar 

  • Ebert TA, Schroeter SC, Dixon JD, Kalvass P (1994) Settlement patterns of red and purple sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus and S. purpuratus) in California, USA. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 111: 41–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Excoffier L, Smouse PE, Quattro JM (1992) Analysis of molecular variance inferred from metric distances among haplotypes: applications to human mitochondrial DNA restriction data. Genetics, Austin, Tex 131: 479–491

    Google Scholar 

  • Ford MJ, Mitton JB (1993) Population structure of the pink barnacle, Tetraclita squamosa rubescens, along the California coast. Molec mar Biol Biotechnol 2: 147–153

    Google Scholar 

  • Genetics Computer Group (1994) Program manual for the GCG package. Version 8. Genetics Computer Group. 575 Scenic Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53711

    Google Scholar 

  • Grahame J, Mill PJ, Double M, Hull SL (1992) Patterns of variation in Aat-1 allele frequencies in rough periwinkles (Littorina) suggest similar selection regimes rather than conspecificity. J mar biol Ass UK 72: 499–502

    Google Scholar 

  • Hellberg ME (1994) Relationships between inferred levels of gene flow and geographic distance in a philopatric coral, Balanophyllia elegans. Evolution 48: 1829–1854

    Google Scholar 

  • Higgins DG, Bleasby AJ, Fuchs R (1992) Clustal V: improved software for multiple sequence alignment. CABIOS 8: 189–191

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurst CD, Skibinski DOF (1995) Comparison of allozyme and mitochondrial DNA spatial differentiation in the limpet Patella vulgata. Mar Biol 122: 257–263

    Google Scholar 

  • Incze LS, Ortner PB, Schumacher JD (1990) Microzooplankton, vertical mixing and advection in a larval fish patch. J Plankton Res 12: 365–379

    Google Scholar 

  • Jablonski D, Flessa K, Valentine JW (1985) Biogeography and paleobiology. Paleobiology 11: 75–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs HT, Elliot DJ, Math VB, Farquharson A (1988) Nucleotide sequence and gene organization of sea urchin mitochondrial DNA. J molec Biol 202: 185–217

    Google Scholar 

  • Johannesson K, Johannesson J, Lundgren U (1995) Strong natural selection causes microscale allozyme variation in a marine snail. Proc natn Acad Sci USA 92: 2602–2606

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson MS, Black R (1982) Chaotic genetic patchiness in an intertidal limpet, Siphonaria sp. Mar Biol 70: 157–164

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson MS, Black R (1984) Pattern beneath the chaos: the effect of recruitment on genetic patchiness in an intertidal limpet. Evolution 38: 1371–1383

    Google Scholar 

  • Jukes TH, Cantor CR (1969) Evolution of protein molecules. In: Munro HN (ed) Mammalian protein metabolism. Academic Press, New York, pp 21–132

    Google Scholar 

  • Karl SA, Avise JC (1992) Balancing selection at allozyme loci in oysters: implications from nuclear RFLPs. Science, NY 256: 100–102

    Google Scholar 

  • Koehn RK, Milkman R, Mitton JB (1976) Population genetics of marine pelecypods. IV. Selection, migration and genetic differentiation in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis. Evolution 30: 2–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Koehn RK, Newell RIE, Immerman F (1980) Maintenance of an aminopeptidase allele frequency cline by natural selection. Proc natn Acad Sci USA 77: 5385–5389

    Google Scholar 

  • Kordos LM, Burton RS (1993) Genetic differentiation of Texas Gulf coast populations of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus. Mar Biol 117: 227–233

    Google Scholar 

  • Levinton JS, Suchanek TH (1978) Geographic variation, niche breadth and genetic differentiation at different geographic scales in the mussels Mytilus californianus and M. edulis. Mar Biol 49: 363–375

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis RI, Thorpe JP (1994) Temporal stability of gene frequencies within genetically heterogeneous populations of the queen scallop Aequipectin (Chlamys) opercularis. Mar Biol 121: 117–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Macleod JAA, Thorpe JP, Duggan NA (1985) A biochemical genetic study of population structure in queen scallop (Chlamys opercularis) stocks in the Northern Irish Sea. Mar Biol 87: 77–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris RH, Abbott DP, Haderlie EC (1980) Intertidal invertebrates of California. Stanford University Press. Stanford, California

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy RW, Sites JW Jr, Buth DG, Haufler CH (1990) Proteins. I. isozyme electrophoresis. In: Hillis DM, Moritz C (eds) Molecular systematics. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts, pp 45–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Nei M (1977) F-statistics and analysis of gene diversity in subdivided populations. Ann hum Genet 41: 225–233

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishida M, Lucas JS (1988) Genetic differences between geographic populations of the crown-of-thorns starfish throughout the Pacific region. Mar Biol 98: 359–368

    Google Scholar 

  • Palumbi SR (1992) Marine speciation on a small planet. Trends Ecol Evolut 7: 114–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Palumbi SR (1994) Genetic divergence, reproductive isolation, and marine speciation. A Rev Ecol Syst 25: 547–572

    Google Scholar 

  • Palumbi SR (1995) Using genetics as an indirect estimator of larval dispersal. In: McEdward LR (ed) Ecology of marine invertebrate larvae. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 369–387

    Google Scholar 

  • Palumbi SR, Wilson AC (1990) Mitochondrial DNA diversity in the sea urchins Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and S. droebachiensis. Evolution 44: 403–415

    Google Scholar 

  • Reeb CA, Avise JC (1990) A genetic discontinuity in a continuously distributed species: mitochondrial DNA in the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica. Genetics, Austin, Tex 124: 397–406

    Google Scholar 

  • Roff DA, Bentzen P (1989) The statistical analysis of mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms: χ2 and the problem of small samples. Molec Biol Evolut 6: 539–545

    Google Scholar 

  • Saiki RK, Gelfand DH, Stoffel S, Scharf SJ, Higuchi R, Horn GT, Mullis KB, Erlich HA (1988) Primer-directed enzymatic amplification of DNA with thermostable DNA polymerase. Science, NY 239: 487–491

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheltema RS (1971) Larval dispersal as a means of genetic exchange between geographically separated populations of shallow-water benthic marine gastropods. Biol Bull mar biol Lab, Woods Hole 140: 284–322

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheltema RS (1978) On the relationship between dispersal of pelagic veliger larvae and the evolution of marine prosobranch gastropods. In: Battaglia B, Beardmore JA (eds) Marine organisms: genetics, ecology and evolution. Plenum Press, New York, pp 303–322

    Google Scholar 

  • Selander RK, Smith MH, Yang SY, Johnson WE, Gentry JB (1971) IV. Biochemical polymorphism and systematics in the genus Peromyscus. I. Variation in the old-field mouse (Peromyscus polionotus). Stud Genet, Austin, Tex 6: 49–90 (Univ Texas Publ No. 7103)

    Google Scholar 

  • Strathmann RR (1978) The length of pelagic period in echinoderms with feeding larvae from the northeastern Pacific. J exp mar Biol Ecol 34: 23–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Swofford DL, Selander RB (1981) BIOSYS-1: a FORTRAN program for the comprehensive analysis of electrophoretic data in population genetics and systematics. J Hered 72: 281–283

    Google Scholar 

  • Swofford DL, Selander RK (1989) BIOSYS-1: a computer program for the analysis of alletic variation in population genetics and biochemical systematics. Release 1.7. Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois

    Google Scholar 

  • Valentine JW (1973) Evolutionary paleoecology of the marine biosphere. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

    Google Scholar 

  • Walsh PS, Metzger DA, Higuchi R (1991) Chelex 100 as a medium for the simple extraction of DNA for PCR-based typing from forensic material. BioTechniques 10: 506–513

    Google Scholar 

  • Waples RS (1987) A multispecies approach to the analysis of gene flow in marine shore fishes. Evolution 41: 385–400

    Google Scholar 

  • Watts RJ, Johnson MS, Black R (1990) Effects of recruitment on genetic patchiness in the urchin Echinometra mathaei in Western Australia. Mar Biol 105: 145–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Zouros E, Foltz DW (1984) Possible explanations of heterozygote deficiency in bivalve molluscs. Malacalogia 25: 583–591

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Murine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California. San Diego, 92093-0202, La Jolla, California, USA

    S. Edmands, P. E. Moberg & R. S. Burton

Authors
  1. S. Edmands
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. P. E. Moberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. S. Burton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Communicated by M. F. Strathmann, Friday Harbor

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Edmands, S., Moberg, P.E. & Burton, R.S. Allozyme and mitochondrial DNA evidence of population subdivision in the purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus . Marine Biology 126, 443–450 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00354626

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00354626

Keywords

Search

Navigation