Finding the relevant scale: clonality and genetic structure in a marine invertebrate (Crambe crambe, Porifera)

Important changes in genetic relatedness may occur at extremely small scales in benthic invertebrates, providing key information about structuring processes in populations of these organisms. We performed a small-scale study of the population structure of the sponge Crambe crambe, in which 177 individuals from the same rocky wall (interindividual distances from 0 to 7 m) were genotyped using six microsatellite markers. 101 sponges had unique genotypes and the remaining 76 individuals formed 24 groups of sponges sharing genotypes (clones). Mean intraclone distances were found to be c. 20 cm. Spatial autocorrelation analyses showed a drastic decrease in genetic relatedness over the first 100 cm of distance. If the contribution of clonality to this pattern was eliminated, the trend was attenuated, but remained a marked one and was still significant within the first distance classes (30-40 cm). Estimated mean dispersal distances per generation were c. 35 cm, and neighbourhood sizes were estimated at c. 33 sponges. Genetic similarities with sponges of the same locality, or from other Mediterranean localities, were within the same range as those found in sponges 2-7 m apart. It is concluded that asexual reproduction plays an important role in structuring populations in this species. However, over and above the effects of clonality, a strong fine-scale genetic structure was present at distances in the range of tens of centimetres, probably as a result of short dispersal of larvae. This fine-scale genetic structure may be common in invertebrates with lecitotrophic larvae.