Population genetic structure and ecological differentiation in the bryozoan genus Reteporella across the Azores Archipelago (central North Atlantic)

Lara Baptista; Manuel Curto; Andrea Waeschenbach; Björn Berning; António M Santos; Sérgio P Ávila; Harald Meimberg

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38765

Population genetic structure and ecological differentiation in the bryozoan genus Reteporella across the Azores Archipelago (central North Atlantic)

Heliyon. 2024 Oct 1;10(19):e38765. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38765. eCollection 2024 Oct 15.

Authors

Lara Baptista^{1

2

3

4}, Manuel Curto^{2

4}, Andrea Waeschenbach⁵, Björn Berning¹, António M Santos^{2

4

6}, Sérgio P Ávila^{1

2

6

7

8}, Harald Meimberg³

Affiliations

¹ CIBIO-InBIO, Universidade dos Açores, Departamento de Biologia, Rua Mãe de Deus 13A, 9501-801, Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Portugal.
² BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal.
³ Institute for Integrative Nature Conservation Research, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, BOKU University, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180, Wien, Austria.
⁴ CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, no. 7, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal.
⁵ Science, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, United Kingdom.
⁶ Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 1021/1055, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
⁷ UNESCO Chair - Land Within Sea: Biodiversity & Sustainability in Atlantic Islands, Universidade dos Açores, 9501-801, Ponta Delgada, Portugal.
⁸ Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade dos Açores, 9501-801, Ponta Delgada, Açores, Portugal.

Abstract

The processes shaping population dynamics of benthic marine invertebrates with non-planktotrophic larvae are still poorly understood but have seen a renewed interest in applying integrative taxonomic approaches. We used mitochondrial and microsatellite (SSR-GBAS) data to estimate connectivity across islands and seamounts in the central North Atlantic Azores Archipelago in five species of the bryozoan genus Reteporella Busk, 1884. Discordant patterns were inferred between datasets, which might be due to methodological constraints related to the application of multilocus approaches based on amplification to multiple species or due to interspecific introgression in deep waters. A divergent cryptic ecotype of Reteporella atlantica (Busk, 1884) was found in shallow waters, likely resulting from ecologically-driven incipient speciation, posing new questions regarding the role of bathymetrical zonation as a promoter of differentiation. The occurrence of ecologically-driven differentiation and potential interspecific introgression in other bryozoans should be considered, both with potentially important evolutionary and biogeographical consequences. The discovery of incipient species, prompted by ecological factors, calls for the need to consider marine invertebrates when developing conservation strategies in oceanic insular ecosystems.

Keywords: Azores Archipelago; Bathymetry; Cryptic species; Incipient speciation; SSR-GBAS.