Population Genetics and Biogeography of Marine Species

Population genetics and biogeography in marine species interrogate how genetic variation is distributed across space and time in the world’s oceans. By examining gene flow, genetic structure and phylogeographic patterns, researchers reveal the influence of life-history traits, oceanographic barriers and historical events on population connectivity. Marine larvae and propagules are dispersed by currents and rafting, while vicariance and glacio-tectonic events have shaped contemporary distributions. Genetic diversity underpins resilience to environmental change, including climate-driven range shifts and anthropogenic pressures, and informs management of fisheries, conservation of biodiversity and the design of marine protected areas. Integrative approaches combining molecular markers with ecological modelling and oceanographic data have elucidated cryptic lineages, refugial histories and corridors of dispersal across biogeographic provinces. This work has global significance for predicting responses to warming seas, controlling invasive species and sustaining ecosystem services in a rapidly changing marine realm.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have elucidated the genetic signatures accompanying poleward range extensions in a temperate cephalopod species. Analyses of microsatellite loci across historical and range-extension zones demonstrate comparable levels of genetic diversity despite bottlenecks in newly colonised areas. Persistent gene flow from throughout the core distribution appears to buffer genetic losses at the leading edge, while moderate self-recruitment may facilitate local adaptation and persistence under shifting thermal regimes. These patterns highlight the interplay between connectivity and founder effects in shaping genetic resilience during climate-driven range shifts.

Population Genetics and Biogeography of Marine Species publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in population genetics and biogeography of marine species across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Population connectivity: The exchange of individuals and genes among geographically separated populations, often mediated by larval dispersal or adult movement.

Genetic structure: The pattern of genetic variation within and among populations, reflecting gene flow, drift and selection.

Phylogeography: The study of the historical processes that shape the geographic distributions of genealogical lineages.

Genetic bottleneck: A sharp reduction in population size leading to loss of genetic diversity and altered allele frequencies.

Isolation-by-distance: A pattern in which genetic differentiation increases with geographic distance due to restricted dispersal.

References

1. Population genetic signatures of a climate change driven marine range extension. Scientific Reports (2018).
2. The oceanic concordance of phylogeography and biogeography: a case study in Notochthamalus. Ecology and Evolution (2016).
3. The Story of a Hitchhiker: Population Genetic Patterns in the Invasive Barnacle Balanus(Amphibalanus) improvisus Darwin 1854. PLOS ONE (2016).
4. Genetic Structure Among 50 Species of the Northeastern Pacific Rocky Intertidal Community. PLOS ONE (2010).