Phylogeographic study on the chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) in the Northwestern Pacific indicates the late Pleistocene population isolation

Abstract

AbstractIn the present study, the population genetic structure and historical demography of the chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus, in the Northwestern Pacific were examined based on the full‐length sequences of the mitochondrial control region and cytochrome b gene. A total of 320 individuals was sampled from 11 localities along the coast of China and Japan from August 2011 to May 2013. Two main clades representing Chinese and Japanese populations, respectively, were detected, suggesting population isolation of S. japonicus during the late Pleistocene era. The Chinese clade was further divided into two small clades and the distribution of haplotypes were not related to sampling locality, which may be a signature of secondary contact following past division. Analyses of molecular variance and pairwise FST revealed significant genetic differentiation between the Chinese and Japanese populations, but a lack of genetic structure for the populations along the coast of China. Both neutrality tests and mismatch distribution analysis suggested that the populations along the coast of China experienced population expansion during the late Pleistocene. Historical events, biological characteristics and other extrinsic forces such as ocean currents may all be associated with the current phylogeographic pattern of S. japonicus in the Northwestern Pacific.