Being Abundant Is Not Enough: A Decrease In Effective Population Size Over 8 Generations In A Norwegian Population Of The Seaweed, Fucus Serratus

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 04 Sep 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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The brown alga Fucus serratus is a key foundation species on rocky intertidal shores of Northern Europe.

We sampled the same population off the coast of southern Norway in 2000 and 2008, and using 26 microsatellite loci, estimated changes in genetic diversity and effective population size (Ne).

The unexpectedly low Ne (73-386) and Ne/N ratio (10-3 to 10-4), in combination with a significant decrease (14%) in allelic richness over the eight year period, suggests an increased local extinction risk.

Being abundant may not be enough for the species to weather future environmental changes.

Royal Society journal Biology Letters

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Biology Letters