Population genetic studies of the crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci (L.), in the Great Barrier Reef region

Abstract

Seven populations of the crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci, were compared genetically using starch gel electrophoresis in order to investigate the extent of genetic exchange throughout the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) region. These populations extended from Lizard Island in the north to One Tree Island in the south, a distance of approximately 1300 km. Thirteen of 36 enzymes assayed were genetically interpretable, and 10 (77%) of these were polymorphic. Mean heterozygosity over all loci was 0.225. An analysis of the gene frequency heterogeneity between the populations using Wright's FSTstatistic gave an overall FSTof 0.019. The mean unbiased value of Nei's genetic distance between the..