Abstract
The diadematid sea urchin Centrostephanus rodgersii occurs in Australia and New Zealand and has undergone recent southward range extension in Australia as a result of regional warming. Clarifying the population genetic structure of this species across its New Zealand range would allow a better understanding of recent and future mechanisms driving range changes in the species. Here, we use microsatellite DNA data to assess connectivity and genetic structure in 385 individuals from 14 locations across the Australian and New Zealand ranges of the species. We detected substantial genetic differentiation among C. rodgersii populations from Australia and New Zealand. However, the population from Port Stephens (located north of Newcastle), Australia, strongly clustered with New Zealand samples. This suggests that the New Zealand populations recently originated from this area, likely via larval transport in the Tasman Front flow that arises in this region. The weak population genetic structure and relatively low genetic diversity detected in New Zealand (global Fst = 0.0021) relative to Australia (global Fst = 0.0339) is consistent with the former population’s inferred history of recent climate-driven expansion. Population-level inbreeding is low in most populations, but were higher in New Zealand (global Fis = 0.0833) than in Australia (global Fis = 0.0202), suggesting that self-recruitment is playing an increasingly important role in the New Zealand region. Our results suggest that C. rodgersii is likely to spread southwards as ocean temperatures increase; therefore, it is crucial that researchers develop a clearer understanding of how New Zealand ecosystems will be reshaped by this species (and others) under climate change.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 138 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-11 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Marine Biology |
| Volume | 168 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| Early online date | 17 Aug 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank Tania King for lab assistance, Felix Vaux for assisting with figure production and Robert Smith for discussions on physical oceanography and various members of MEGMAR (Molecular Ecology Group for Marine Research?at Flinders University) for assistance with the sampling in Australia. Expeditions to the Kermadec Islands were made possible by the Sir Peter Blake Trust, the Commanding Officer and ship?s company of HMNZS Canterbury, the RV Braveheart crew (Stoney Creek Shipping Company), and the RV Tangaroa with the support of the Auckland Museum Institute, Auckland Museum, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the School of Natural and Computational Sciences (SNCS) Massey University, the Marine Funding Advisory Research Group, NIWA (Project COBR1705), Te Papa Tongarewa, and Ministry for the Environment. We thank J. David Aguirre, Tom Trnski, Adam N. H. Smith, David Acu?a-Marrero, Emma Betty, Mat Betty, Crispin Middleton, Phil Ross, Sam McCormack, and Severine Hannam for collecting help. We wish to thank and acknowledge mana whenua (the traditional owners), the M?ori iwi of Ng?ti Kuri and Ng?tiwai, for their support. We thank Te Komite Rakahau ki K?i Tahu (the Ng?i Tahu Research Consultation Committee) for reviewing our proposed research and providing advice on establishing partnerships with iwi and exchanging new knowledge generated by the research. We thank the two anonymous reviewers for their careful and detailed suggestions on earlier drafts which have greatly improved this manuscript.
Funding Information:
We thank Tania King for lab assistance, Felix Vaux for assisting with figure production and Robert Smith for discussions on physical oceanography and various members of MEGMAR (Molecular Ecology Group for Marine Research at Flinders University) for assistance with the sampling in Australia. Expeditions to the Kermadec Islands were made possible by the Sir Peter Blake Trust, the Commanding Officer and ship’s company of HMNZS Canterbury, the RV Braveheart crew (Stoney Creek Shipping Company), and the RV Tangaroa with the support of the Auckland Museum Institute, Auckland Museum, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the School of Natural and Computational Sciences (SNCS) Massey University, the Marine Funding Advisory Research Group, NIWA (Project COBR1705), Te Papa Tongarewa, and Ministry for the Environment. We thank J. David Aguirre, Tom Trnski, Adam N. H. Smith, David Acuña-Marrero, Emma Betty, Mat Betty, Crispin Middleton, Phil Ross, Sam McCormack, and Severine Hannam for collecting help. We wish to thank and acknowledge mana whenua (the traditional owners), the Māori iwi of Ngāti Kuri and Ngātiwai, for their support. We thank Te Komite Rakahau ki Kāi Tahu (the Ngāi Tahu Research Consultation Committee) for reviewing our proposed research and providing advice on establishing partnerships with iwi and exchanging new knowledge generated by the research. We thank the two anonymous reviewers for their careful and detailed suggestions on earlier drafts which have greatly improved this manuscript.
Funding Information:
Research was supported by a University of Otago Research Grant to M. Lamare. L. Liggins was supported by a Rutherford Foundation New Zealand Postdoctoral Fellowship.
