Decline of North Atlantic eels: a fatal synergy?

Influence of oceanic factors on Anguilla anguilla (L.) over the twentieth century in coastal habitats of the Skagerrak, southern Norway.

The European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) is distributed in coastal and inland habitats all over Europe, but spawns in the Sargasso Sea and is thus affected by both continental and oceanic factors. Since the 1980s a steady decline has been observed in the recruitment of glass eels to freshwater and in total eel landings. The eel is considered as critically endangered on the International Union fo...

Natural hybrids in Atlantic eels (Anguilla anguilla, A. rostrata): evidence for successful reproduction and fluctuating abundance in space and time.

The outcome of natural hybridization is highly variable and depends on the nonexclusive effects of both pre- and post-mating reproductive barriers. The objective of this study was to address three specific questions regarding the dynamics of hybridization between the American and European eels (Anguilla rostrata and Anguilla anguilla). Using 373 AFLP loci, 1127 eels were genotyped, representing...

Population structure of the parasitic nematode Anguillicola crassus, an invader of declining North Atlantic eel stocks.

Probably half of all animal species exhibit a parasitic lifestyle and numerous parasites have recently expanded their distribution and host ranges due to anthropogenic activities. Here, we report on the population genetic structure of the invasive nematode Anguillicola crassus, a parasite in freshwater eels, which recently spread from Asia to Europe and North America. Samples were collected fro...

Differential timing of gene expression regulation between leptocephali of North Atlantic eels in the Sargasso Sea

Microsatellite variation and differentiation in North Atlantic eels.

We screened 11 populations of American, European, and Icelandic eels (Anguillidae) for allelic variation and genetic divergence at six polymorphic microsatellite loci. Within either of the two recognized Anguilla species in the North Atlantic (rostrata in the Americas, anguilla in Europe), population genetic structure was statistically significant but weak; fully 95% of the total genetic variat...