Regional differentiation and sex-biased dispersal among populations of the horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus

摘要: Abstract Fourteen microsatellite DNA loci were surveyed in 892 horseshoe crabs Limulus polyphemus collected from 21 sites ranging Franklin, Maine, to the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. This rangewide survey revealed a high degree of genetic diversity (up 50 alleles per locus) and heterozygosity 97.2%). There appears be substantial gene flow between each population its nearest neighbors. The correlation distance geographic supports isolation by as mechanism underlying structure L. along Atlantic coast North America. Two statistical descriptors, mean assignment percentage variance, suggested presence male-biased dispersal throughout study area. Within continuum dispersal, clustering specific collections on tree distances hierarchical analyses demonstrate discrete regional units. These results suggest def...