Oceanic currents, not land masses, maintain the genetic structure of the mangrove Rhizophora mucronata Lam. (Rhizophoraceae) in Southeast Asia

AIM: Mangroves are intertidal plants with sea‐dispersed propagules, hence their population structure can offer valuable insights into the biogeographical processes driving population subdivision in coastal species. In this study, we used molecular markers and ocean circulation simulations to examine...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of biogeography 2014-05, Vol.41 (5), p.954-964
Main Authors: Wee, Alison K. S, Takayama, Koji, Asakawa, Takeshi, Thompson, Bijoy, Onrizal, Sungkaew, Sarawood, Tung, Nguyen Xuan, Nazre, M, Soe, Khin Khin, Tan, Hugh T. W, Watano, Yasuyuki, Baba, Shigeyuki, Kajita, Tadashi, Webb, Edward L, Maggs, Christine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Biogeography
Biological and medical sciences
Brackish water ecosystems
coastal biogeography
coasts
Connectivity
dispersal
Ecological genetics
Evolutionary ecology, from short to long time-scales
founder effect
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene flow
General aspects
Genetic diversity
genetic markers
Genetic structures
genetic variation
Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution
Geography
Malay Peninsula
microsatellite
microsatellite repeats
Ocean circulation
ocean current
Ocean currents
Oceans
Population genetics
Population genetics, reproduction patterns
Population parameters
Population structure
propagule
Rhizophora mucronata
Rhizophoraceae
simple sequence repeats
Synecology
vicariance
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Summary:AIM: Mangroves are intertidal plants with sea‐dispersed propagules, hence their population structure can offer valuable insights into the biogeographical processes driving population subdivision in coastal species. In this study, we used molecular markers and ocean circulation simulations to examine the effects of ocean currents and land masses on the genetic structure of the major mangrove species Rhizophora mucronata. LOCATION: Southeast Asia. METHODS: We assessed the genetic structure of 13 R. mucronata populations from continental Southeast Asia and Sumatra using 10 microsatellite loci. We first examined the relative effects of geographical distance and land mass (the Malay Peninsula) in shaping the genetic structure of R. mucronata in Southeast Asia. We then characterized the genetic structure of R. mucronata and compared it to the simulated ocean circulation patterns within our study region. RESULTS: Despite the low genetic diversity, significant genetic structuring was detected across R. mucronata populations. Contrary to observations on other mangrove species, genetic differentiation in R. mucronata was not found across the coasts of the Malay Peninsula, nor was it correlated with geographical distance. Instead, the most distinct genetic discontinuity was found at the boundary between the Andaman Sea and the Malacca Strait, and this can be explained by the prevailing ocean currents in this region. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Our study presents novel evidence that the genetic structure of R. mucronata is maintained by ocean current‐facilitated propagule dispersal.
ISSN:0305-0270
1365-2699
DOI:10.1111/jbi.12263