Abstract
Studies of genetic diversity and population genetic structure in deep-sea fauna mainly focus on vulnerable marine ecosystem (VME) indicator taxa, whilst relatively few studies have focussed on VME-associated taxa whose distributions are not exclusively limited to VMEs. Knowledge of genetic connectivity (gene flow) amongst populations of VME-associated taxa, such as squat lobsters, will contribute to ongoing management decision-making related to the protection of VMEs. To better understand the genetic diversity and genetic structure of squat lobster populations (Munida isos, Munida endeavourae and Munida gracilis) at different spatial scales (biogeographic provinces, regions and geomorphic features) in the southwest Pacific Ocean, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) region and nuclear microsatellite markers were employed. Overall, the levels of genetic diversity were high for the COI region and moderate for the microsatellite loci across the three Munida species. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) of COI variation revealed no significant genetic differentiation, whereas AMOVA of microsatellite variation revealed significant genetic differentiation amongst the three species, but at different spatial scales. Based on microsatellite variation, a range of analyses [Structure, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC)] provided some evidence of limited genetic differentiation at different spatial scales across the three species. Low to moderate levels of assignment success (∼40–60%) based on microsatellite variation were achieved for the three Munida species, suggesting high levels of gene flow and possible panmixia. Nonetheless, for M. isos, populations from the Tasmanian slope were genetically differentiated from all other populations and may act as source populations, whereas populations from the Kermadec Ridge region may be sink populations for all three Munida species. Our results highlight the need to consider gene flow at trans-national scales when managing anthropogenic impacts on VMEs. The results are discussed in the context of existing marine protected areas (MPAs), which can contribute new information useful to the management of VMEs within the southwest Pacific Ocean.
Introduction
The deep sea is the largest ecosystem on earth, encompassing more than 90% of the global ocean area (; ). It harbours a wide range of marine ecosystem services with unique abiotic and biological characteristics that support a rich diversity of life (). For several decades, considerable attention has been paid to the ongoing declines in marine biodiversity caused by pressures including environmental change, pollution and human exploitation (; ; ). Consequently, international agreement on the need for marine protected areas (MPAs) has been reached () that is widely acknowledged to be an important step to help reduce anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity (; ).
Vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), including seamounts, canyons, hydrothermal vent and cold seep habitats, as well as cold-water coral reefs and sponge beds, are vulnerable to the impact of intense or long-term anthropogenic activities, in particular to bottom trawling (). There is now increasing awareness that VMEs need protection from anthropogenic activities such as trawling that have been carried out for decades, but also from future activities such as mining which may commence in the near future (e.g. ; ; ). MPAs provide a means to restrict damaging human activities and thereby allow for the conservation of critical natural habitats such as VMEs, which can help facilitate the maintenance and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function (; ). Given that population declines can lead to reduced individual fitness, reduced population resilience and possible eventual extinction, an understanding of the population connectivity of VME indicator taxa is useful for informing the design and implementation of MPAs, for assessing the effectiveness of existing MPAs and for improving the management and mitigation of impacts on VMEs (; ).
The presence of a VME can be indicated by taxa that form a VME, e.g. coral species that form complex reef habitats (refer to for the South Pacific Ocean and for the Southern Ocean and Antarctica). Whilst there are numerous studies examining the population structure of VME indicator taxa (e.g. in the southwest Pacific Ocean—, ; ; ; ; ; ), relatively few studies have focussed on VME-associated taxa whose distributions are not exclusively limited to VMEs but are often found together with VMEs (e.g. crinoids, brisingid seastars sensu; ). Squat lobsters are highly diverse anomuran crustaceans that are sometimes, but not always, closely associated with VMEs (e.g. coral thickets and sponge gardens) (; ; ). As such, squat lobsters are an abundant and ecologically important group that may provide new insights into the patterns of genetic connectivity amongst VMEs.
Using a range of different genetic markers, previous studies of population genetic structure for deep-sea squat lobsters across all or parts of their ranges have, perhaps not surprisingly, failed to reveal a consistent pattern of results. Whilst several different studies have reported no genetic population differentiation (e.g. ; ; ; ; ; ), others have reported evidence of limited to moderate genetic differences amongst populations (e.g. ; ) and still others have reported no population genetic differentiation based on one marker type but population genetic differentiation based on a different marker type (e.g. ). As VME-associated taxa, knowledge of connectivity amongst deep-sea squat lobster populations can be used to contribute to ongoing management decision-making about protection by assessing the effectiveness of existing MPAs and informing the placement of new MPAs. However, in the absence of consistent patterns of population genetic differentiation amongst squat lobster species reported in the literature, it is clear that new and region-specific assessments of genetic connectivity need to be carried out.
In the present study, the population genetic variation of three locally abundant Munida species [Munida isos (), Munida endeavourae () and Munida gracilis ()] from the southwest Pacific Ocean region are investigated to better understand genetic diversity and genetic connectivity amongst VMEs. M. isos and M. endeavourae are widespread around New Zealand and south-eastern Australia where they occur from the edge of the continental shelves (∼400 m) to bathyal depths of 1800–2700 m, respectively. M. gracilis is a widespread New Zealand endemic species with a slightly shallower depth distribution of about 100–1200 m (; Schnabel, unpublished). Munida species have free-swimming planktonic larval phases that may drift with ocean currents, but the larval dispersal strategies of these species are unknown in detail. However, it is presumed that they have similar development to other munidids which include between four and six planktotrophic zoeal larval stages and 15–83 days of larval development (), which in turn suggests that larval dispersal over distances of 10s, if not 100s of km is likely. Munida species are associated with VMEs rather than being a functional component of VMEs as are many habitat-forming corals and sponges (, ). Squat lobsters therefore are a good choice of group to help investigate patterns of gene flow and population genetic differentiation amongst VMEs, and provide a valuable contrast to the more widely studied VME-forming groups. In conjunction, information about genetic connectivity and barriers to gene flow that may result in geographic genetic differentiation and/or genetic hotspots can be used in the planning of the placement and size of new MPAs (e.g. , ; ; ; , ; ). Based on the presumptive dispersal strategies and the known habitat preferences of these species, it is hypothesised that M. isos and M. endeavourae, which are typically found on physically isolated seamounts, will exhibit population genetic heterogeneity within the study area. In contrast, it is hypothesised that M. gracilis, which is also found on soft sediments that are generally contiguous over large areas of the deep sea, allowing greater physical movement of adults and larvae, will exhibit higher levels of population genetic homogeneity. If the connectivity of species inhabiting only seamounts differs from the connectivity of species inhabiting seamounts and non-seamount habitats, then this has implications for spatial management measures of these species across their respective ranges. We used a spatially explicit hierarchical framework to test these hypotheses, and to explore the drivers of the observed genetic connectivity patterns, to provide information that will contribute to the management of VMEs within the southwest Pacific Ocean.
Materials and Methods
Sample Collection and DNA Extraction
Specimens were obtained from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric (NIWA) Research Invertebrate Collection (Wellington, New Zealand) and Museum Victoria (Melbourne, Australia). These were archived individuals collected mainly by scientific expeditions in the southwest Pacific Ocean since the 2000s. Most specimens were collected within the New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), with additional samples from the south Tasman Sea within the Australian EEZ, and from the Louisville Seamount Chain, an Area Beyond National Jurisdiction, to the northeast of New Zealand’s EEZ (Figure 1). All specimens were preserved in > 80% ethanol after collection. The majority of specimens of M. isos and M. endeavourae were from seamount habitats, whilst the majority of specimens of M. gracilis were from soft sediment habitats at relatively shallower depths. Sample availability depends on collection activity at any given site with the result that our site-specific sample sizes are highly variable, but not low given these constraints. Sample details are summarised in Table 1; full details are presented in Supplementary Tables S1–S3.
FIGURE 1
TABLE 1
| Spatial class | Code | COI | Microsatellite | |
| Munida isos | Northern province | Northern | 214 | 219 |
| Southern province | Southern | 134 | 136 | |
| Total (provinces) | 348 | 355 | ||
| North region | North | 106 | 109 | |
| Central region | Central | 108 | 110 | |
| South region | South | 134 | 136 | |
| Total (regions) | 348 | 355 | ||
| Kermadec Ridge | KR | 13 | 13 | |
| Louisville Seamount Chain | LS | 82 | 85 | |
| Hikurangi Margin | HM | 11 | 11 | |
| Chatham Rise | CR | 108 | 110 | |
| Macquarie Ridge | MR | 59 | 60 | |
| Tasmanian slope | TA | 72 | 73 | |
| Total (geomorphic features) | 345 | 352 | ||
| M. endeavourae | Kermadec Ridge | KR | 38 | 42 |
| Louisville Seamount Chain | LS | 28 | 28 | |
| Tasmanian slope | TS | 23 | 26 | |
| Total (geomorphic features) | 89 | 96 | ||
| M. gracilis | Kermadec Ridge | KR | 19 | 20 |
| Chatham Rise | CR | 154 | 155 | |
| Challenger Plateau | CP | 159 | 164 | |
| Total (geomorphic features) | 332 | 339 |
Summary of sample sizes (N, number of specimens) for Munida isos at three spatial scales, and for M. endeavourae and M. gracilis at the geomorphic feature scale.
Abdominal muscle or pereopod tissue samples were collected and stored individually in 95% ethanol before being transferred to the laboratory, for further analysis. Whole genomic DNA was extracted using the DNeasy Blood and Tissue kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) following the manufacturer’s instructions. DNA integrity and molecular weight were assessed using electrophoresis in 3% agarose gels and with a NanoPhotometer (Implen, Munich, Germany). Samples exhibiting poor quality DNA were discarded.
Squat lobster samples had previously been identified using the methods and keys described in
Data Testing Framework
For M. isos, for which there were large samples sizes and good spatial coverage, a spatially explicit hierarchical testing framework was employed to evaluate genetic differentiation amongst populations. This approach follows
First, samples of M. isos were assigned to the two deep, bathyal (800–3500 m), ocean floor biogeographic provinces of
Second, samples were assigned to three regions; North (north of Chatham Rise), Central (Chatham Rise) and South (south of Chatham Rise) regions (Figure 1). Subtropical Water (STW) that reaches New Zealand region via the East Australian Current and the South Pacific subtropical gyre, and Subantarctic Water (SAW) that is driven north by Ekman transport and westerly winds, meet along the Chatham Rise forming the Subtropical Front (
Third, samples were assigned to populations according to major geomorphic features of the seafloor in the study area: Kermadec Ridge, Louisville Seamount Chain, Hikurangi Margin, Chatham Rise, Macquarie Ridge and Tasmanian slope (Figure 1). Given the species-specific distribution and habitat requirement, the distinctive topographic and local hydrodynamic characteristics may act as barriers to gene flow (
For M. endeavourae and M. gracilis, due to patchy sampling site coverage, samples were only assigned to populations according to major geomorphic features for the assessment of genetic connectivity. For M. endeavourae, populations were included from the Kermadec Ridge, Louisville Seamount Chain and the Tasmanian slope. For M. gracilis, populations included those from the Kermadec Ridge, Chatham Rise and Challenger Plateau (Figure 1).
COI Sequencing and Data Analyses
The mitochondrial DNA protein encoding cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) region was amplified for the three Munida species using universal invertebrate primers LCO1490 and HCO2198 (
Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences (forward strand only) were aligned in MEGA v7 (
To assess hierarchical population genetic differentiation amongst squat lobster populations, the uncorrected p distances within/between regions were calculated in MEGA v7 (
All analyses described above were carried out at three spatial scales (Northern–Southern provinces, North–Central–South regions and geomorphic features) for M. isos, and at the geomorphic level only for M. endeavourae and M. gracilis.
Microsatellite Genotyping and Data Analyses
From the 20 microsatellite markers described in
The genotype data were initially assessed in Lositan (
To quantify population genetic diversity, summary statistics including the actual number of alleles (NA), effective number of alleles (NE), observed (HO) and expected (HE) heterozygosity, polymorphism information content (PIC) values, allelic richness (AR), number of private alleles (NAP) and inbreeding coefficient (FIS) were calculated for each locus using GenAlEx v6.5 (
To quantify population genetic differentiation, Nei’s genetic distance (DA) (
General relationships amongst individuals were depicted through a principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) on the basis of a covariance pairwise genetic distance matrix in GenAlEx v6.5 (
Individual assignment tests and first generation migrant detection with ‘L_home’ likelihood computation were implemented in GeneClass v2 (
All analyses described above were carried out at three spatial scales (Northern–Southern provinces, North–Central–South regions and geomorphic features) for M. isos, and at geomorphic feature level for M. endeavourae and M. gracilis.
Results
Population Genetic Structure Based on COI Region
Genetic Diversity
Haplotypic diversity was very high across populations for all provinces, regions and geomorphic features of the three Munida species. For M. isos, 111 haplotypes, based on a 649-bp fragment of the gene, were obtained from 348 individuals at both the province and region spatial scales. The haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity values of populations were slightly greater in populations of the Northern province than in the Southern province, and both estimates in the North region were greater than the other two regions (detailed results are reported in Supplementary Table S5). At the geomorphic feature scale, a total of 110, 67 and 200 COI haplotypes were obtained from 345, 89 and 332 individuals of M. isos, M. endeavourae and M. gracilis, respectively. Notably, the mean population haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity values for M. isos (0.764; 0.26%) were lower than for M. endeavourae (0.980; 0.59%) and M. gracilis (0.973; 0.56%), respectively.
Genetic Differentiation
As revealed by uncorrected p distances and ΦST values, genetic differentiation amongst populations of provinces, regions and geomorphic features was low in the three Munida species (uncorrected p distances in the range of 0.002–0.006; ΦST values in the range of 0.000–0.035). Specifically, all of the uncorrected p distances were relatively low, but within the Decapoda intraspecific barcode threshold (0.285–1.375%) (
The median-joining networks, representing the most parsimonious relationship amongst haplotypes, were plotted for the three Munida species. For M. isos, a starburst-like pattern was observed from the 111 haplotypes, but no pattern of genetic structure was detected in populations at either the province (Supplementary Figure S1) or region scales (Supplementary Figure S2). At the geomorphic feature scale, haplotypes from both M. isos and M. endeavourae populations exhibited a starburst-like pattern, consistent with the mutational evolution of new haplotypes over time (Figure 2). However, the number of equally parsimonious haplotype connections was too great in M. gracilis for the most likely network to be determined. Similarly, there was no evidence of a pattern of genetic structure amongst populations of the three Munida species across their distributional ranges (Supplementary Figure S3). The ML phylogenetic trees were similar for the three Munida species, with all haplotypes occurring in a major non-differentiated cluster with strong support, and clearly differentiated from the two outgroup taxa (Supplementary Figure S4). These analyses indicate that there is no clear evidence of genetic subdivision amongst populations at the geomorphic feature, region or province scale for the three Munida species.
FIGURE 2

Median-joining network of COI haplotypes of (A)Munida isos, (B)M. endeavourae and (C)M. gracilis for geomorphic features. Coloured circles represent haplotypes and circle sizes are proportional to the number of individuals. Black circles represent hypothesised (not observed) haplotypes that are intermediate between observed haplotypes. Lines denote base pair changes.
Population Genetic Structure Based on Microsatellite Variation
Genetic Diversity
For all three species Lositan analyses indicated that no microsatellite locus was likely to be experiencing selection. Null alleles (r > 0.2) were detected at loci MI_06 (M. isos) and MI_02 (M. gracilis), but not observed at these loci in the two other species. Evidence of homozygote excess and stuttering was observed, but these were randomly distributed across loci in the three Munida species. No large allele dropout was indicated at any locus.
In total, 167, 63 and 74 alleles with size ranges of 78–134, 83–172and 82–200 bp were amplified at 17, 11 and nine microsatellite loci in M. isos, M. endeavourae and M. gracilis, respectively. In general, allelic variation (e.g. HE and PIC) was only moderately high. Four loci (MI_21, MI_29, MI_39 and MI_40) in M. isos, three (MI_06, MI_10 and MI_39) in M. endeavourae and one (MI_14) in M. gracilis exhibited a relatively low level of polymorphism compared to other loci (details are summarised in Supplementary Table S8). The M. isos of the Northern province exhibited a higher level of genetic diversity than those of the Southern province. The average number of effective alleles and expected heterozygosity were greatest in populations of the Central region, but the largest number of private alleles was found in the South region. At the geomorphic feature level, the observed and expected heterozygosities in the populations were reasonably consistent in all features for the three species (detailed results are reported in Supplementary Table S5). At the geomorphic feature scale, populations of M. isos and M. gracilis exhibited moderate levels of genetic diversity whilst M. endeavourae showed slightly lower genetic diversity. Private alleles were identified in nearly all populations of geomorphic features across the three Munida species, with the highest numbers being observed for the Chatham Rise (M. isos and M. gracilis) and Kermadec Ridge (M. endeavourae) populations, whilst none were detected for the Kermadec Ridge population of M. gracilis. Average FIS values were positive across populations of geomorphic features, with the only exception being the population of M. endeavourae from the Tasmanian slope, which exhibited a deficit of heterozygotes.
For M. isos, after FDR correction for multiple comparisons, 28 (82.35%) and 37 (72.55%) tests were significantly different from HWE (p < 0.05) at pairwise combinations of loci × populations at the province and region spatial scales, respectively. For geomorphic features, 38 (37.25%), 5 (15.15%) and 14 (51.85%) tests were significantly different from HWE (p < 0.05) in M. isos, M. endeavourae and M. gracilis, respectively, with the majority exhibiting heterozygote deficiencies. In particular, loci MI_25 and MI_02 demonstrated significant departures from HWE within all populations at the geomorphic feature scale of M. isos and M. gracilis, respectively.
For M. isos, only four of 136 locus-pairs showed significant LD after FDR correction (p < 0.05). No evidence of LD was found in M. endeavourae and M. gracilis.
Genetic Differentiation
Genetic population differentiation was low for the three species, as revealed by Nei’s genetic distance (DA) and FST values (DA in the range of 0.015–0.107; FST in the range of 0.001–0.051). For M. isos, FST values amongst populations of the two provinces and three regions remained low but significant (p < 0.05). For M. isos at the geomorphic feature scale, only the pairwise comparison between populations of the Hikurangi Margin and Tasmanian slope (FST = 0.051) exhibited a moderate level of differentiation (Supplementary Table S6). For population pairs of the other two species, significant difference from zero (p < 0.05) was detected for thirteen FST values after correction, of which 11 and two were from M. isos and M. endeavourae, respectively.
Analysis of molecular variance revealed significant genetic differentiation at different spatial levels: within all samples of M. isos and M. gracilis; amongst the populations of the two provinces, three regions, and six geomorphic features for M. isos and amongst populations of the three geomorphic features for M. endeavourae and M. gracilis (Supplementary Table S7). Nonetheless, AMOVA partitioned more than 96% of the genetic variation within samples for the three Munida species, leaving less than 4% variance attributable to the differences amongst populations and amongst populations within groups.
Genetic Structure
Principal coordinate analysis, with relatively low cumulative variation represented by the first two factors, revealed no evidence of genetic differentiation across populations of provinces or regions for M. isos, and amongst populations of geomorphic features for the three Munida species (Supplementary Figures S5, S6), whilst Structure showed the highest support for two clusters (ΔK = 2) for all datasets. However, given that the ΔK approach is unable to detect the best K when K = 1, post-processing of Structure bar plots was conducted in CLUMPAK. As a result, K = 1 and K = 2 could not be successfully differentiated between for M. isos (10/10; 10/10) at three spatial scales (provinces, regions and geomorphic features) and M. gracilis (10/10; 10/10) at geomorphic feature level, whereas K = 2 (5/10) was rejected in favour of K = 1 for M. endeavourae (Figures 3, 4). For M. isos, when K = 2, individuals from the Southern province and the South region were mostly assigned to the blue cluster based on provinces and region scales. At the geomorphic feature scale, the majority of individuals from the Hikurangi Margin, Macquarie Ridge and Tasmanian slope populations were assigned to the blue cluster, whilst populations from other features showed a more complex genetic structure with a shared membership of both the blue and orange clusters. This finding was supported by the fact that 10 out of 11 significant pairwise FST values were detected in populations from these three geomorphic features (Hikurangi Margin, Macquarie Ridge and Tasmanian slope). For M. endeavourae, no pattern was revealed, with all individuals assigned equally to both clusters, indicating no structure. For M. gracilis, individuals from populations of all three geomorphic features were randomly assigned to two clusters, echoing the AMOVA results as major variance was attributed to the differences within geomorphic features. In the BAPS analyses, the inferred number of populations was one (K = 1) for all datasets of three Munida species, indicating no genetic structure.
FIGURE 3

Structure cluster analyses of Munida isos based on spatial differentiation of (A) two provinces and (B) three regions as revealed by microsatellite variation.
FIGURE 4

Structure cluster analyses of (A)Munida isos, (B)M. endeavourae and (C)M. gracilis based on microsatellite variation among populations on geomorphic features.
Results from DAPC, an analysis that can maximise genetic variation amongst groups whilst minimising separation within groups, indicated three genetic clusters corresponding to the three regions as defined by the first two principal components (PCs) for M. isos (Figure 5). At the geomorphic feature level, two, three and three major genetic clusters were calculated for M. isos, M. endeavourae and M. gracilis, respectively (Figure 6). For M. isos, PC1 separated the Tasmanian slope population from the populations of all other geomorphic features. The major cluster was further divided by PC2 into individuals from populations of the Kermadec Ridge and Louisville Seamount Chain, Chatham Rise and Macquarie Ridge and the Hikurangi Margin, which was congruent with the FST and Structure results. For M. endeavourae and M. gracilis, three distinct clusters corresponding to the populations from the three geomorphic features were revealed, with clusters overlapping to different degrees for the two species.
FIGURE 5

Scatterplot generated by the discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) of Munida isos based on three regions as revealed by microsatellite variation.
FIGURE 6

Scatterplot generated by the discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) of (A)Munida isos, (B)M. endeavourae and (C)M. gracilis based on microsatellite variation among populations of geomorphic features.
Gene Flow and Connectivity
Assignment-based tests performed in GeneClass had a low to moderate level of classification success. For M. isos, 231 (65.1%) and 179 (50.4%) individuals were correctly assigned to their province and region populations, respectively. At the geomorphic feature level, a total of 143 (40.6%), 53 (55.2%) and 156 (40.0%) individuals were correctly assigned to their own geomorphic feature populations for M. isos, M. endeavourae and M. gracilis, respectively. The ‘L_home’ statistics demonstrated some evidence of first-generation migrants amongst sampled province/region/geomorphic feature populations. In total, 19, two and eight individuals were below the threshold of the assignment tests (α = 0.01) for M. isos, M. endeavourae and M. gracilis, respectively, increasing the possibility that these individuals may be first generation immigrants that have been introduced from an unknown source.
For M. isos, BayesAss analyses were unable to reach the standard of 20–60% in the province and region spatial scale datasets: only results for geomorphic features are presented. At the geomorphic feature level, estimates of contemporary migrants between populations were low, and the proportions of self-recruitment were high to very high (Table 2). For M. isos, the Macquarie Ridge (81.22%) and Tasmanian slope (96.43%) populations exhibited evidence of genetic isolation with high proportions of contribution from within each population (self-recruitment). Similar patterns were observed for individuals from the Louisville Seamount Chain for M. endeavourae (95.47%) and from the Challenger Plateau for M. gracilis (88.26%). Notably, the Kermadec Ridge region was identified as a sink population (only receiving migrants from other populations) for all Munida species. For M. isos, the Tasmanian slope population was identified as a source population (providing migrants to other populations while receiving no or few migrants). This was incongruent with findings from M. endeavourae, for which the Tasmanian slope population (68.01%) acted as a sink population, receiving migrants (30.27%) from the Louisville Seamount Chain population. For M. gracilis, populations from both the Chatham Rise and Challenger Plateau were both source and sink populations.
TABLE 2
| Code | Source | ||||||
| Munida isos | KR | LS | HM | CR | MR | TA | |
| KR | 68.41% | 6.59% | 16.35% | ||||
| LS | 72.23% | 20.31% | |||||
| HM | 68.59% | 19.99% | 5.02% | ||||
| CR | 78.74% | 6.22% | 14.02% | ||||
| MR | 81.22% | 14.87% | |||||
| TA | 96.43% | ||||||
| M. endeavourae | KR | LS | TA | ||||
| KR | 79.65% | 19.45% | |||||
| LS | 95.47% | ||||||
| TA | 30.27% | 68.01% | |||||
| M. gracilis | KR | CR | CP | ||||
| KR | 68.13% | 17.86% | 14.00% | ||||
| CR | 76.81% | 22.98% | |||||
| CP | 11.54% | 88.26% | |||||
Estimated migration rates from source populations (top) to recipient populations (side) for three Munida species based on microsatellite variation.
Empty cells denote migration rates <0.05, estimates of self-recruitment in bold (on the diagonal).
Discussion
Three munidid squat lobsters, M. isos, M. endeavourae and M. gracilis, have been tested for levels of genetic diversity and patterns of genetic connectivity in the southwest Pacific Ocean based on mitochondrial COI region and nuclear microsatellite variation. Overall, the level of genetic diversity was high as revealed by the COI region, and moderate as revealed by microsatellite markers, across all three Munida species. There was no evidence of genetic subdivision amongst populations of the three Munida species based on the COI sequence data, and only limited genetic differentiation was observed in M. isos and M. gracilis based on microsatellite variation (none was detected for M. endeavourae using microsatellites). These results provide new insights into the genetic connectivity of VME-associated taxa in the southwest Pacific Ocean.
Genetic Diversity
Genetic diversity of the three Munida species was randomly distributed across the study area, as indicated by both the COI region and microsatellite markers. The mitochondrial COI region, in particular, exhibited a high level of genetic diversity for haplotypes across the three Munida species. Notably, within the genus Munida, high levels of polymorphisms in COI can be indicative of a relatively fast mutation rate, or because population sizes are large, or because the taxa have an ancient origin, allowing for mutations to accumulate over time (
Significant deviations from HWE were observed in the three Munida species, which is common in squat lobster species (
Genetic Differentiation and Connectivity
Genetic differentiation at different spatial scales was evaluated based on mitochondrial COI region and nuclear microsatellite marker variation in the three Munida species. Levels of site-specific genetic diversity are a function, at least in part, of sample size and we recognise that our sample sizes are very variable amongst our sites. This variability reflects the differential availability of archived material in the museum collections, which is itself a function of the very different sampling efforts that our sites have been subject to over the last several decades and is a known and appreciated constraint for deep-sea population genetics research (e.g.
Based on mitochondrial COI sequence data, an overall lack of population genetic structure was detected for the three Munida species accordingly to ML tree and median-joining network. Similar haplotype networks have been reported for other squat lobster taxa, such as K. tyleri (
The three Munida species exhibited low to moderate levels of assignment success, indicative of panmixia across the study area, and which is most probably driven by high levels of gene flow in the region. Interestingly, estimations of migration rate were not always consistent for populations from the Tasmanian slope, which acted as a source population for M. isos and as a sink population for M. endeavourae. Moreover, populations from the Kermadec Ridge acted as sink populations in the three Munida species, which was inconsistent with a previous study of two stony corals where the Kermadec Ridge is a migrant source (
Overall, we have evidence of moderate to high levels of gene flow, of low levels of genetic differentiation and of low levels of assignment success, all of which point to population genetic homogeneity or perhaps even panmixia at large spatial scales. But we also have evidence of limited differentiation of the Tasmanian slope populations from all other populations to the east, in the New Zealand EEZ and beyond (i.e. the Louisville Seamount Chain) based on FST values and the DAPC plots. We interpret these results as indicating that the Tasmanian slope populations are differentiated to a small extent, perhaps at the limits of detection by some of the analyses, from all other populations. Our data suggest that there is likely to be asymmetrical gene flow from the Tasmanian slope populations to the east (i.e. the Tasmanian slope populations are source populations), and this is supported by, and consistent with, the regional physical oceanography. For example, the major surface current circulation, the STW and SAW, both flow eastwards (from Australia towards New Zealand) before meeting and mixing along the Chatham Rise to the east of New Zealand (
Larval dispersal is crucial for connectivity and colonisation through migration in deep-sea environments. Specific larval development characteristics are unknown for M. isos, M. endeavourae and M. gracilis but based on egg size, a ‘regular’ (not abbreviated) planktotrophic larva is inferred as in other Munida species (
Implications for Conservation and Management
In recent years, VMEs have suffered severe damage from anthropogenic activities at a regional or local scale, as well as from physical environmental changes such as increasing ocean temperature and acidification (
In 2001, New Zealand implemented a seamount management strategy, with 17 areas (containing 19 seamounts) within New Zealand’s EEZ closed to all bottom trawling in order to protect the benthic habitat and communities on seamounts, including VMEs (
FIGURE 7

Map showing the distribution of marine protected areas (shaded), major geomorphic features and locations of the samples in the southwest Pacific Ocean region. White solid lines indicate the boundary of economic exclusive zone. White dashed lines represent the boundary of Extended Continental Shelf. Pink dashed line is marked as the potential genetic barrier.
A key finding of this study is that the relatively high levels of genetic connectivity and the low levels of genetic differentiation reported amongst geographically isolated populations of Munida spp. suggests that any damage to a localised site squat lobster population (e.g. natural disturbance such as slumps or man-made disturbance such as fishing or mining) may be counteracted by the high levels of larval connectivity from other sites. Whilst this appears to be true for Munida spp. that are associated with the VMEs, the same cannot be said of VME habitat-forming taxa such as corals and sponges (
Squat lobster populations on the Tasmanian slope are located in the 9991 km2 Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserve (part of the Southeast Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network) within the Australian EEZ. Three of the sample sites are within the Habitat Protection Zone (IUCN IV), with mining prohibition and commercial fishing needing to be authorised, whilst the fourth site for this population is situated in the Huon-Multiple Use Zone (IUCN VI), where activities such as mining and fishing can occur if authorised (
Squat lobsters from within New Zealand’s EEZ and beyond (i.e. at the Louisville Seamount Chain) exhibited high levels of gene flow across New Zealand’s EEZ and beyond. Thus, it is essential to have MPAs distributed throughout these regions to reflect and to protect this wide-ranging genetic connectivity. Significantly, it is necessary to separately protect VMEs on the Louisville Seamount Chain, because the impacts of bottom trawling on VMEs in the SPRFMO Convention Area are managed separately from the management of similar impacts in New Zealand’s EEZ. Furthermore, the currently closed areas on the Louisville Seamount Chain are part of a broader protection measure that not only distributes VME protection elsewhere in the SPRFMO Convention Area, but also includes limits on VME indicator taxa bycatch (including VME habitat associated taxa).
Ongoing monitoring of genetic diversity and patterns of connectivity within and amongst populations of deep-sea fauna before and after bottom trawling will allow researchers to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic activity on population differentiation and connectivity, and will provide valuable information to inform best practices in management and conservation. Collectively, the results of this study illustrate the importance of considering the international cross-boundary implications of conservation measures when trying to design effective MPA networks (e.g.
Statements
Data availability statement
The datasets for this study can be found in the NCBI GenBank (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nucleotide/).
Author contributions
AR and JG designed the research project. KS and AR contributed to the collection of the analysed samples. KS and R-JY provided the identifications of the squat lobster species. R-JY and X-ZG conducted the laboratory and statistical analyses. The first draft of the manuscript was written by R-JY. R-JY, KS, AR, and JG contributed to the reworking and editing of the draft manuscript towards the submitted version.
Funding
This work was supported by funding from Victoria University of Wellington to JG (SB80802), National Institute of Water and Atmospheric to Richard Wysoczanski [Crustacea as indicators of marine environmental change (CAIME)] and Sadie Mills (New Zealand Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment core funding to NIWA under Coasts and Oceans Research Programme). Sample collections were supported by funding from the former New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, former New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries, Land Information New Zealand, Department of Conservation (New Zealand), GNS Science (New Zealand), Auckland University and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (United States).
Acknowledgments
Squat lobster specimens were supplied for genetic work by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric (NIWA) Invertebrate Collection, Wellington, New Zealand, and Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. Particular special thanks to Ms. Sadie Mills and Ms. Diana Macpherson of the NIWA Invertebrate Collection and Dr. Anna McCallum of the Museum Victoria, for their diligent assistance with loans.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Supplementary material
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00791/full#supplementary-material
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Summary
Keywords
genetic diversity, genetic connectivity, management, conservation, southwest Pacific Ocean, vulnerable marine ecosystems
Citation
Yan R-J, Schnabel KE, Rowden AA, Guo X-Z and Gardner JPA (2020) Population Structure and Genetic Connectivity of Squat Lobsters (Munida Leach, 1820) Associated With Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. Front. Mar. Sci. 6:791. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00791
Received
31 May 2019
Accepted
09 December 2019
Published
14 January 2020
Volume
6 - 2019
Edited by
Les Watling, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, United States
Reviewed by
Enrique Macpherson, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Spain; Cheryl L. Morrison, United States Geological Survey (USGS), United States
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Copyright
© 2020 Yan, Schnabel, Rowden, Guo and Gardner.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Ruo-Jin Yan, rjyan@suda.edu.cn
This article was submitted to Deep-Sea Environments and Ecology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Marine Science
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