Abstract
Data on genetic structure of corals living in the Mediterranean Sea are very scarce. Leptopsammia pruvoti Lacaze-Duthiers, 1897, is a gonochoric and brooding solitary coral that colonizes shaded rocky habitats. It is very abundant under overhangs, in caverns, and in small crevices, with typical densities of thousands of polyps per square meter. In the present study, a hierarchical survey of spatial models of genetic structure and potential gene flow was conducted within and among seven shallow water Mediterranean populations, which ranged from 2 to 872 km apart. Within each population, polyps were randomly collected from three patches 5 m apart. Seven allozyme loci indicated a genetic structure characterized by (1) a marked departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, with a considerable deficit of heterozygotes; (2) most genetic differentiation occurring between patches within populations (F ST = 0.118 to 0.206), rather than among distant populations (F ST = 0.052); and (3) no significant correlation betwe...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
