A ‘Bermuda Triangle’ Effect Shaping Reef Fish Connectivity Across the Western Atlantic

Abstract

Understanding the spatial scale and structure of marine connectivity is essential for uncovering how ocean currents shape gene flow, population structure and larval transport in reef organisms. We examined range‐wide patterns of gene flow and population structure in the tomtate ( Haemulon aurolineatum ), an abundant reef fish with a broad distribution from southern Brazil to Bermuda in the western Atlantic. We used genome‐wide SNPs, mitochondrial DNA sequences and a re‐evaluation of morphological variation to assess connectivity, demographic history and lineage boundaries across 22 locations spanning all major biogeographic provinces within the species' range. Population structure and phylogenetic analyses identified three main genetic groups: (1) the Caribbean and Southwestern Atlantic (CSA), (2) the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and (3) Bermuda (BDA), with further substructure within CSA. Demographic modelling and migration analyses supported early divergence followed by sustained but asymmetric gene flow, particularly into BDA, which acts as a long‐term demographic sink, likely maintained by episodic larval input from CSA and GOM. This pattern aligns with previous findings from biophysical models and larval transport studies. Recognized marine barriers such as the Eastern and Western Caribbean breaks contributed to population differentiation, while coastal corridors along Brazil and the Guianas facilitated northward gene flow. Coalescent‐based species delimitation supported three species‐level lineages, but we interpret these as subspecies: morphologically and genomically distinct, yet not fully reproductively isolated. Taken together, these results demonstrate how asymmetric dispersal and oceanographic isolation can structure genetic diversity in marine organisms by creating peripheral demographic sinks like Bermuda, where limited and unidirectional connectivity promotes long‐term differentiation—a pattern we describe as the ‘Bermuda Triangle effect.’

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