Phylogeography of the reef fish Cephalopholis argus(Epinephelidae) indicates Pleistocene isolation across the indo-pacific barrier with contemporary overlap in the coral triangle

Authors

Michelle R. Gaither, University of Hawaii, Kaneohe, USA
Brian W. Bowen, University of Hawaii, Kaneohe, USA
Tiana-Rae Bordenave, University of Hawaii, Kaneohe, USA
Luiz A. Rocha, Department of Ichthyology California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, USA
Stephen J. Newman, Department of Fisheries, Western AustraliaFollow
Juan A. Gomez, James Cook University, Australia
Lynne van Herwerden, James Cook University, Australia
Matthew T. Craig, Department of Marine Sciences University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez, USA

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-1-2011

Journal Title

BMC Evolutionary Biology

ISSN

Electronic: 2730-7182

Keywords

Indian Ocean, Reef Fish, Western Indian Ocean, Eastern Indian Ocean, High Posterior Density

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Behavior and Ethology | Biodiversity | Genetics | Genomics | Marine Biology | Population Biology

Abstract

Background

The Coral Triangle (CT), bounded by the Philippines, the Malay Peninsula, and New Guinea, is the epicenter of marine biodiversity. Hypotheses that explain the source of this rich biodiversity include 1) the center of origin, 2) the center of accumulation, and 3) the region of overlap. Here we contribute to the debate with a phylogeographic survey of a widely distributed reef fish, the Peacock Grouper (Cephalopholis argus; Epinephelidae) at 21 locations (N = 550) using DNA sequence data from mtDNA cytochrome b and two nuclear introns (gonadotropin-releasing hormone and S7 ribosomal protein).

Results

Population structure was significant (ΦST = 0.297, P < 0.001; FST = 0.078, P < 0.001; FST = 0.099, P < 0.001 for the three loci, respectively) among five regions: French Polynesia, the central-west Pacific (Line Islands to northeastern Australia), Indo-Pacific boundary (Bali and Rowley Shoals), eastern Indian Ocean (Cocos/Keeling and Christmas Island), and western Indian Ocean (Diego Garcia, Oman, and Seychelles). A strong signal of isolation by distance was detected in both mtDNA (r = 0.749, P = 0.001) and the combined nuclear loci (r = 0.715, P < 0.001). We detected evidence of population expansion with migration toward the CT. Two clusters of haplotypes were detected in the mtDNA data (d = 0.008), corresponding to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, with a low level of introgression observed outside a mixing zone at the Pacific-Indian boundary.

Conclusions

We conclude that the Indo-Pacific Barrier, operating during low sea level associated with glaciation, defines the primary phylogeographic pattern in this species. These data support a scenario of isolation on the scale of 105 year glacial cycles, followed by population expansion toward the CT, and overlap of divergent lineages at the Pacific-Indian boundary. This pattern of isolation, divergence, and subsequent overlap likely contributes to species richness at the adjacent CT and is consistent with the region of overlap hypothesis.

Recommended Citation

aither, M.R., Bowen, B.W., Bordenave, TR. et al. Phylogeography of the reef fish Cephalopholis argus(Epinephelidae) indicates Pleistocene isolation across the indo-pacific barrier with contemporary overlap in the coral triangle. BMC Evol Biol 11, 189 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-11-189