Antarctic Nemertea

Rachel Grant

doi:10.15468/7a5e2q

Antarctic Nemertea

Citation

Grant R, Van de Putte A (2019). Antarctic Nemertea. SCAR - AntOBIS. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/7a5e2q accessed via GBIF.org on 2020-06-04. accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-11-03.

Description

Open-ocean environments provide few obvious barriers to the dispersal of marine organisms. Major currents and/or environmental gradients potentially impede gene flow. One system hypothesized to form an open-ocean dispersal barrier is the Antarctic Polar Front, an area characterized by marked temperature change, deep water, and the high-flow Antarctic Circumpolar current. Despite these potential isolating factors, several invertebrate species occur in both regions, including the broadcast-spawning nemertean worm Parborlasia corrugatus. To empirically test for the presence of an open-ocean dispersal barrier, we sampled P. corrugatus and other nemerteans from southern South America, Antarctica, and the sub-Antarctic islands. Diversity was assessed by analyzing mitochondrial 16S rRNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequence data with Bayesian inference and TCS haplotype network analysis. Appropriate neutrality tests were also employed. Although our results indicate a single well-mixed lineage in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic, no evidence for recent gene flow was detected between this population and South American P. corrugatus. Thus, even though P. corrugatus can disperse over large geographical distances, physical oceanographic barriers (i.e. Antarctic Polar Front and Antarctic Circumpolar Current) between continents have likely restricted dispersal over evolutionary time. Genetic distances and haplotype network analysis between South American and Antarctic/ sub-Antarctic P. corrugatus suggest that these two populations are possibly two cryptic species.

Additional info

marine, harvested by iOBIS

Taxonomic Coverages

urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:152391

Nemertea [ribbon worms]
rank: phylum

Geographic Coverages

PS, Antarctica

Bibliographic Citations

Contacts

Rachel Grant
originator
position: Principal Lecturer
Hartpury College

Anton Van de Putte
metadata author
position: Project Manager
Antarctic Biodiversity Information Facility (ANTABIF)
email: antonarctica@gmail.com
homepage: http://data.biodiversity.aq

Rachel Grant
administrative point of contact
position: Principal Lecturer
Hartpury College
GB