Genetic work on numerous species with planktonically dispersing larvae has demonstrated gene flow throughout populations along the California coast, despite steep environmental gradients around Point Conception. Previous ecological work on a planktonically dispersing intertidal barnacle, Pollicipes polymerus, demonstrated that this species is divided into two physiological races near Point Conception, at Point Latigo. The northern race broods when water temperature either warms or cools to 14°C and the southern race broods as water warms to 20°C. I examined 8 polymorphic allozyme loci from five populations between Santa Cruz and San Diego to test if the two physiological races are genetically divided. No genetic differences were found over this geographic range, supporting a previous molecular study. These results suggest that reproductive differences between the two races of this stalked barnacle may result from plasticity in brooding activity.
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31 December 2024
Are the two physiological races of Pollicipes polymerus (Cirripedia) genetically divided along the California coast?
Benjamin G Miner
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allozymes
brooding
gooseneck barnacle
population structure