Abstract
Polychaetes belonging to the genus Capitella are known to represent a complex of opportunistic cryptic species that dominates the macrobenthos of organically enriched sediments, such as muddy areas particularly rich in sulfide. With the exception of the species, Capitella capitata (Fabricius) from West Greenland, Capitella spp. from the European Atlantic coast have never been accurately characterized both genetically and morphologically and were often reported as capitata in the literature. The life cycle of these European worms has not been described properly either, despite their widespread use as bio-indicators in ecological studies. The present study provides the first morphological description of Capitella specimens collected along the Brittany coast and the English Channel up to the entrance of the North Sea and their genetic diversification in this region. Both morphological and molecular data are congruent and support the co-occurrence of cryptic species at the tip of Brittany. The most frequent French mt lineages, C-Channel1, C-Atlantic and C-Channel2, although well distinct from Capitella teleta, are also divergent but closer to C. capitata initially described from Greenland. Following barcoding, the most abundant species (C-Channel1) was isolated and reared in the laboratory to describe its life cycle and predict both its dispersal ability and ecological success in the face of the sulfidic muddy habitats of the French harbors.
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Acknowledgements
This work was funded by the FRB Region Hauts-de-France (VERMER project, 2014–2016), the Region Hauts-de-France (AniMo project, 2013), the University of Lille (BQR emergence) and the Total Foundation (PIONEER project, 2016–2018). Authors are grateful to Nicolas Gayet (IFREMER, LEP Plouzané) for taking the SEM photos. Christophe Calarnou and Sylvie Flourez for their technical help in the Lab and on the field. Stéphane Hourdez and Virginie Cuvillier-Hot are deeply acknowledged for sampling and discussion.
Funding
This work was funded by the FRB Region Hauts-de-France (VERMER project, 2014–2016), the Region Hauts-de-France (AniMo project, 2013), the University of Lille (BQR emergence) and the Total Foundation (PIONEER project, 2016–2018).
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Céline Boidin-Wichlacz: provision of biological materials, design of methodology, performing the experiments, data presentation, writing the initial draft and editing. Didier Jollivet: genetic analyses, conceptualization, review of the published work. Claire Papot: Performing the experiments, data collection. Lolita Roisin: performing the experiments, data collection. François Massol: statistical analyses, creation of models, review of the published work. Aurélie Tasiemski: provision of biological materials, performing the experiments, review of the published work, conceptualization, supervision and project administration.
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Boidin-Wichlacz, C., Jollivet, D., Papot, C. et al. Genetic diversification and life-cycle of the polychaete Capitella spp. from the English Channel: evidence for sympatric cryptic species and alternative reproductive strategies. Mar Biol 168, 176 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03972-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03972-2