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Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers indicate unidirectional gene flow of Indo-Pacific to Atlantic bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) populations, and their admixture off southern Africa

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Abstract

A sharp genetic break separates Atlantic from Indo-Pacific bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) populations, as the frequencies of two major mitochondrial (mt) DNA types (α and β) found in this species are different across the tip of southern Africa. The level of nucleotide divergence between mtDNA types α and β is of the same order as that between reproductively isolated taxa. To further investigate the genetic structure of bigeye tuna over its distribution range and in the contact zone off southern Africa, bigeye tuna samples collected between 1992 and 2001 (including samples from a previous mtDNA survey) were characterized for four nuclear DNA loci and for mtDNA. Nuclear markers did not support the hypothesis that α and β mitochondria characterize sibling species. Significant allele-frequency differences at one intronic locus (GH2) and one microsatellite locus (µ208) were found between Atlantic and Indo-Pacific samples, although the level of nuclear genetic differentiation (Weir and Cockerham’s \( \ifmmode\expandafter\hat\else\expandafter\^\fi{\theta } \)=0.025 to 0.042) was much lower than in mtDNA (\( \ifmmode\expandafter\hat\else\expandafter\^\fi{\theta } \)=0.664 to 0.807). Probabilistic Bayesian assignment of individuals to a population confirmed that southern African bigeye tuna samples represent a simple mixture of individuals from Atlantic and Indian stocks that do not interbreed, with a higher contribution from Indian Ocean individuals (about 2/3 vs. 1/3).

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to J.-P. Hallier, F. Ménard, M. Potier (IRD UR 109, Sète), R.D. Ward (CSIRO Marine Research, Hobart), and the crews and research staff of the National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries, Shimizu for providing samples; M. Pascal for help in laboratory analysis; F. Bonhomme (CNRS UMR 5000/IFREMER URM 16, Sète) for providing laboratory facilities and for support; L. Bach (Aarhus Universitet, Denmark) and A. Topchy (Michigan State University, East Lansing) for help with assignment test methodologies; K.M. Schaefer (IATTC, La Jolla) and K. Holland (CSIRO) for information about tunas’ biology; and M. Villanueva for helpful comments. Funded by IRD (UR 070, UR 081), IFREMER (URM 16), and CNRS (UMR 5000).

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Author notes

  1. J.-D. Durand

    Present address: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UR070, Centre IRD de Bel Air, BP 1386, CP 18524, Dakar, Senegal

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Génome, Populations, Interactions, Adaptation, (UMR CNRS-IFREMER 5171/Université Montpellier 2, Station Méditerranéenne de l’Environnement Littoral, Sète, France

    J.-D. Durand, A. Collet, B. Guinand & P. Borsa

  2. National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries, Shizuoka, Japan

    S. Chow

  3. Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Nouméa, New Caledonia

    A. Collet & P. Borsa

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  1. J.-D. Durand
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Correspondence to J.-D. Durand.

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Communicated by M.S. Johnson, Crawley

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Durand, JD., Collet, A., Chow, S. et al. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers indicate unidirectional gene flow of Indo-Pacific to Atlantic bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) populations, and their admixture off southern Africa. Marine Biology 147, 313–322 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-005-1564-2

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