Strong genetic differentiation in tropical seagrass Enhalus acoroides (Hydrocharitaceae) at the Indo-Malay Archipelago revealed by microsatellite DNA

The Indo-Malay Archipelago is regarded as a barrier that separates organisms of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Previous studies of marine biota from this region have found a variety of biogeographic barriers, seemingly dependent on taxon and methodology. Several hypotheses, such as emergence of the Sunda Shelf and recent physical oceanography, have been proposed to account for the genetic structuring of marine organisms in this region. Here, we used six microsatellite loci to infer genetic diversity, population differentiation and phylogeographic patterns of Enhalus acoroides across the Indo-Malay Archipelago. Heterozygosities were consistently high, and significant isolation-by-distance, consistent with restricted gene flow, was observed. Both a neighbour joining tree based on DA distance and Bayesian clustering revealed three major clusters of E. acoroides. Our results indicate that phylogeographic patterns of E. acoroides have possibly been influenced by glaciation and deglaciation during the Pleistocene. Recent physical oceanography such as the South Java Current and the Seasonally Reversing Current may also play a role in shaping the genetic patterns of E. acoroides.