Genetic structure of the vestimentiferan Lamellibrachia satsuma revealed by microsatellite analyses

The genetic structure of the vestimentiferan Lamellibrachia satsuma (Annelida: Siboglinidae) distributed in Kagoshima Bay, southwestern Japan, and the Nikko and Daikoku seamounts on the northern Mariana Arc, was analyzed using 14 newly developed microsatellite markers. We detected large genetic differences between the L. satsuma distributed in Japanese and Mariana waters, whereas no significant divergence was detected between local populations inhabiting the calderas of the two Mariana seamounts, which are separated by a distance of approximately 270 km. STRUCTURE analysis revealed that two genetically distinct clusters are dominant and no genetic differentiation was detected between sampling years or sites in Kagoshima Bay. We speculated that the Kagoshima Bay population is derived from individuals that have immigrated relatively recently from two undiscovered habitats in waters outside of the bay.