PLoS ONE (Jan 2016)

Biocomplexity in Populations of European Anchovy in the Adriatic Sea.

  • Paolo Ruggeri,
  • Andrea Splendiani,
  • Giulia Occhipinti,
  • Tatiana Fioravanti,
  • Alberto Santojanni,
  • Iole Leonori,
  • Andrea De Felice,
  • Enrico Arneri,
  • Gabriele Procaccini,
  • Gaetano Catanese,
  • Vjekoslav Tičina,
  • Angelo Bonanno,
  • Paola Nisi Cerioni,
  • Massimo Giovannotti,
  • William Stewart Grant,
  • Vincenzo Caputo Barucchi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0153061
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 4
p. e0153061

Abstract

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The sustained exploitation of marine populations requires an understanding of a species' adaptive seascape so that populations can track environmental changes from short- and long-term climate cycles and from human development. The analysis of the distributions of genetic markers among populations, together with correlates of life-history and environmental variability, can provide insights into the extent of adaptive variation. Here, we examined genetic variability among populations of mature European anchovies (n = 531) in the Adriatic (13 samples) and Tyrrhenian seas (2 samples) with neutral and putative non-neutral microsatellite loci. These genetic markers failed to confirm the occurrence of two anchovy species in the Adriatic Sea, as previously postulated. However, we found fine-scale population structure in the Adriatic, especially in northern areas, that was associated with four of the 13 environmental variables tested. Geographic gradients in sea temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen appear to drive adaptive differences in spawning time and early larval development among populations. Resolving adaptive seascapes in Adriatic anchovies provides a means to understand mechanisms underpinning local adaptation and a basis for optimizing exploitation strategies for sustainable harvests.