RT Journal Article
T1 Genetic and Ecological Approaches to Introduced Populations of Pumpkinseed Sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus) in Southwestern Europe
A1 Lambea-Camblor, Ángela
A1 Morcillo Alonso, Felipe
A1 Muñoz, Jesús
A1 Perdices, Anabel
AB Freshwater systems are among the most affected by the introduction of exotic species. The pumpkinseed sunfish Lepomis gibbosus, a centrarchid native to eastern North America, is listed among the top ten introduced freshwater fishes with the greatest ecological impact globally. Despite this, genetic and evolutionary studies of the species are still scarce. Here, we analyzed the genetic variability of introduced populations of L. gibbosus using three mitochondrial genes (COI, d-loop, and ND1). In addition, we used species distribution modeling to compare the niche of introduced versus native populations to assess the present and potential future distribution of the species under different climate change scenarios. Compared with the native populations, introduced ones present a lower level of genetic variability, indicating these populations originated from a small number of individuals from the native (Atlantic) population in the USA and Canada. The low variability was likely driven by a founder effect and subsequent bottleneck, as often occurs in invasive species. Our modeling results suggest not only that L. gibbosus modified its niche during the invasion process in Europe but also the possible global expansion of the species under future climatic conditions, which could facilitate its establishment in almost all continents.
PB MDPI
SN 1424-2818
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/93943
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/93943
LA eng
NO Lambea-Camblor, A.; Morcillo, F.; Muñoz, J.; Perdices, A. Genetic and Ecological Approaches to Introduced Populations of Pumpkinseed Sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus) in Southwestern Europe. Diversity 2023, 15, 1059. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15101059
DS Docta Complutense
RD 7 abr 2025