Genetic structure of the reef grouper E pinephelus merra in the W est I ndian O cean appears congruent with biogeographic and oceanographic boundaries

• Published in: Marine ecology (Berlin, West) West), 2015-09, Vol.36 (3), p.447-461
• Main Authors: Muths, Delphine, Tessier, Emmanuel, Bourjea, Jerome
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0173-9565; 1439-0485
• DOI: 10.1111/maec.12153

The reef fauna connectivity of the W est I ndian O cean ( WIO ) is one of the least studied globally. Here we use genetic analyses of the grouper E pinephelus merra ( B loch 1793) to determine patterns of connectivity and to identify barriers to dispersal in this WIO marine area. Phylogeographic and population‐level analyses were conducted on cytochrome b sequences and microsatellites (13 loci) from 557 individuals sampled in 15 localities distributed across the W est I ndian O cean. Additional samples from the P acific O cean were used to benchmark the WIO population structure. The high level of divergence revealed between Indian and Pacific localities (of about 4.5% in sequences) might be the signature of the major tectonic and climatic changes operating at the P lio‐ P leistocene transition, congruently with numerous examples of Indo‐Pacific speciation. In comparison, the E. merra sequences from the Indian Ocean constitute a monophyletic clade with a low average genetic distance (d