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Marine Ecology Progress Series

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MEPS 439:139-150 (2011)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09339

Coastal upwelling is linked to temporal genetic variability in the acorn barnacle Balanus glandula 

D. J. Barshis1,*, E. E. Sotka1, R. P. Kelly1, A. Sivasundar1, B. A. Menge2, J. A. Barth3, S. R. Palumbi1

1Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California 93950, USA
2Department of Zoology and 3College of Oceanic & Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA

ABSTRACT: Dispersal and recruitment are central processes that shape the geographic and temporal distributions of populations of marine organisms. However, significant variability in factors such as reproductive output, larval transport, survival, and settlement success can alter the genetic identity of recruits from year to year. We designed a temporal and spatial sampling protocol to test for genetic heterogeneity among adults and recruits from multiple time points along a ~400 km stretch of the Oregon (USA) coastline. In total, 2824 adult and recruiting Balanus glandula were sampled between 2001 and 2008 from 9 sites spanning the Oregon coast. Consistent with previous studies, we observed high mitochondrial DNA diversity at the cytochrome oxidase I locus (884 unique haplotypes) and little to no spatial genetic population structure among the 9 sites (ΦST = 0.00026, p = 0.170). However, subtle but significant temporal shifts in genetic composition were observed among year classes (ΦST = 0.00071, p = 0.035), and spatial ΦST varied from year to year. These temporal shifts in genetic structure were correlated with yearly differences in the strength of coastal upwelling (p = 0.002), with greater population structure observed in years with weaker upwelling. Higher levels of barnacle settlement were also observed in years with weaker upwelling (p < 0.001). These data suggest the hypothesis that low upwelling intensity maintains more local larvae close to shore, thereby shaping the genetic structure and settlement rate of recruitment year classes.


KEY WORDS: Balanus glandula · Upwelling · Reproductive sweepstakes · Temporal genetic change · Recruitment · Local oceanography


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Cite this article as: Barshis DJ, Sotka EE, Kelly RP, Sivasundar A, Menge BA, Barth JA, Palumbi SR (2011) Coastal upwelling is linked to temporal genetic variability in the acorn barnacle Balanus glandula . Mar Ecol Prog Ser 439:139-150. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09339

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