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A thorough knowledge on the genetic connectivity of marine populations is important for fisheries management and conservation. Using a dense population sampling design and two types of neutral molecular markers (10 nuclear microsatellite loci and a mtDNA cytochrome b fragment), we inferred the genetic connectivity among the main known spawning grounds of sole (Solea solea L.) in the North-East Atlantic Ocean. The results revealed a clear genetic structure for sole in the North-East Atlantic Ocean with at least three different populations, namely the Kattegat/Skagerrak region, the North Sea and the Bay of Biscay, and with indications for a fourth population, namely the Irish/Celtic Sea. The lack of genetically meaningful differences between biological populations within the southern North Sea is likely due to a large effective population size and sufficient connection (gene flow) between populations. Nevertheless, an isolation-by-distance pattern was found based on microsatellite genotyping, while no such pattern was observed with the cytochrome b marker, indicating an historical pattern prevailing in the latter marker. Our results demonstrate the importance of a combined multi-marker approach to understand the connectivity among marine populations at region scales., Introduction Population connectivity plays a fundamental role in the dynamics of marine ecosystems (Jones et al. 2007). The spatial pattern of genetic diversity in marine species is largely determined by [...]

Heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFCs) have been reported in populations of many species, although HFCs can clearly vary across species, conspecific populations, temporal samples, and sexes. We studied (i) the temporal stability [...]

The sutchi catfish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus is a common large-sized tropical fish which migrates annually to several upstream spawning sites on the Lower Mekong River and feeds on the huge floodplain of the Lower Mekong and Tonle Sap. The sustainable exploitation of the natural resource hinges on the conservation of the limited spawning grounds and open migration routes between the spawning and feeding grounds.

Genetics diversity and differentiation was assessed in 15 samples of the sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus from four major habitats of the North Sea. The results showed indications of a complex and dynamic spatiotemporal structure that was determined by historical events and local oceanic currents.

Evidence for a positive correlation between genetic variability and growth rate at 12 allozyme loci in a catadromous marine fish species, the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) is provided. Heterozygosity-fitness correlations observed can be explained by an effect of either direct allozyme over dominance or associative over dominance.