Genetic isolation by distance among populations of the netted dog whelk Nassarius reticulatus (L.) along the European Atlantic coastline.

Estimates of the average distances by which marine larvae disperse are generally poorly described, despite the central role that larval dispersal plays in the demographic connectivity of populations across geographic space. Here, we describe the population genetic structure and average dispersal distance of the netted dog whelk Nassarius reticulatus (L.) (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Prosobranchia), a widespread member of European intertidal communities, using DNA sequence variation in a fragment of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI). An analysis of 156 individuals from 6 locations spread across approximately 1700 km of the European Atlantic coastline revealed weak and nonsignificant population structure (overall Phi(ST) = 0.00013). However, pairwise Phi(ST) values revealed a slight but significant increase in genetic isolation with geographic distance (IBD), suggesting that populations are not panmictic across the sampled geographic range. If we assume that the isolation by distance is maintained by a stable, stepping stone model of gene flow, then the slope of the IBD is consistent with an average larval dispersal distance of approximately 70 km per generation. The spatial scale of larval dispersal in N. reticulatus is consistent with the life cycle of the species (planktotrophic veliger lasting 30-60 days before competent to settle). A mismatch analysis of the COI sequences revealed a signature of an ancient demographic expansion that began 61 500-160,000 years ago, well before the most recent Pleistocene glaciation event. The greatest levels of genetic diversity occur within the middle latitudes of the whelk's geographic range, consistent with the notion that historic populations of N. reticulatus might have expanded northward and southward from the centrally located Bay of Biscay.