Organism
Marine Planktonic Larvae
TL;DR
Marine organisms with planktonic larvae that drift long distances on ocean currents experience high gene flow, homogenizing populations across vast geographic ranges.
Marine organisms with planktonic larvae that drift long distances on ocean currents experience high gene flow, homogenizing populations across vast geographic ranges. Even if different regions have different environmental conditions, high migration prevents local adaptation - larvae from warm-adapted populations constantly immigrate to cold regions and vice versa. They demonstrate the cost of high gene flow: reduced local adaptation.
Notable Traits of Marine Planktonic Larvae
- High dispersal via planktonic larvae
- Homogenized populations
- Limited local adaptation