POPULATION GENETICS OF THE RED AND BLUE SHRIMP ARISTEUS ANTENNATUS IN THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA

SACCO F;MARCIAS, SANDRO;DEIANA, ANNA MARIA;CANNAS R.

In corso di stampa

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Abstract

To investigate on the presence of distinct stocks in the Western Mediterranean Sea, genetic variation at 8 microsatellite loci was analyzed for eleven samples of the blue and red shrimp Aristeus antennatus (Crustacea, Decapoda) from the Western Mediterranean basin. High level of gene flow and no evidence of genetic partitioning were discovered. No significant genetic variation was found even when populations from exploited versus deep-water unexploited grounds were compared. All the results are consistent with the biology of the species, in particular the extensive pelagic larval stage and adult migration that allow high dispersal and connectivity, at least at the spatial scale investigated in this study.