OCEANUS SEMINAR SERIES | Tito Mendes | 16 Jun | 11h30

 

Title: Absence of genetic substructuring in a fish species with low swimming proficiency and subjected to intense sexual selection: the curious case of the worm pipefish Nerophis lumbriciformis (Teleostei: Syngnathidae).

 

Name: Tito Mendes

 

High levels of population differentiation are a common demographic pattern in syngnathids, even at small geographical scales. This is mostly related to their limited dispersal capabilities and strong habitat dependency. Additionally, the worm pipefish, Nerophis lumbriciformis, also presents an additional variable potentially able to promote population differentiation: high sexual selection intensity, especially at the extremes of its distribution. In this study, we investigated the phylogeography of this fish through the amplification of mitochondrial and nuclear markers aiming to perceive how intense sexual selection may impact its demographic behaviour. Unexpectedly, N. lumbriciformis presents a genetically homogeneous demography, which we attribute to the dispersal potential of the species’ pelagic larvae.

 

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