Population genetic structure and connectivity of Enhalus acoroides along the Southern Vietnamese coastline
- 1Institute of Oceanography, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology , ,
- 2University of Sciences, Hue University , ,
- 3Institute of Botany, Leibniz University Hannover , ,
Abstract
Introduction: Seagrass meadows have undergone substantial declines in Vietnam over recent decades owing to habitat loss, climate change, nutrient enrichment, and other anthropogenic disturbances. Enhalus acoroides , a dominant large tropical seagrass, has experienced marked reductions in distribution and abundance, yet information on its population genetic structure remains limited.
Methods: We analyzed genetic diversity, population structure, and contemporary connectivity using 12 microsatellite loci genotyped from 154 multilocus genotypes collected from ten populations distributed across the Eastern waters (central Vietnam, South China Sea) and Western waters (An Giang coast, Gulf of Thailand), with distances among sampling locations ranging from 20 to 1,250 km.
Results: High clonal diversity (R = 0.77–1.00) indicated that populations were maintained predominantly through sexual reproduction. Genetic diversity varied among populations, with the highest allelic richness observed in Van Phong Bay and Cam Ranh Bay, whereas Cu Mong Lagoon exhibited the lowest diversity. Population genetic analyses revealed significant genetic differentiation, restricted connectivity between the Eastern and Western waters, and a weak but significant pattern of isolation by distance. Nha Trang Bay was highly differentiated from all other populations and received very limited contemporary gene flow, suggesting the influence of habitat-associated isolation. Based on migration rates and relative genetic contribution, Van Phong Bay, Cam Ranh Bay, and Hai Tac Archipelago were identified as candidate source populations for conservation and restoration.
Discussion: These findings provide a comprehensive assessment of the population genetic structure of E. acoroides in Vietnamese waters and provide a scientific basis for conserving and restoring tropical seagrass ecosystems dominated by E. acoroides .
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BibTeX
@article{nguyen2026population,
title = {{Population genetic structure and connectivity of Enhalus acoroides along the Southern Vietnamese coastline}},
author = {Xuan-Vy Nguyen and Thi Thuy Hang Phan and Nhu-Thuy Nguyen-Nhat and Xuan-Thuy Nguyen and Trung-Hieu Nguyen and My-Ngan Nguyen and Viet-Ha Dao and Jutta Papenbrock},
journal = {Frontiers in plant science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1953986},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13669108},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Population genetic structure and connectivity of Enhalus acoroides along the Southern Vietnamese coastline
AU - Xuan-Vy Nguyen
AU - Thi Thuy Hang Phan
AU - Nhu-Thuy Nguyen-Nhat
AU - Xuan-Thuy Nguyen
AU - Trung-Hieu Nguyen
AU - My-Ngan Nguyen
AU - Viet-Ha Dao
AU - Jutta Papenbrock
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Frontiers in plant science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1953986
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13669108
AB - Introduction: Seagrass meadows have undergone substantial declines in Vietnam over recent decades owing to habitat loss, climate change, nutrient enrichment, and other anthropogenic disturbances. Enhalus acoroides , a dominant large tropical seagrass, has experienced marked reductions in distribution and abundance, yet information on its population genetic structure remains limited. Methods: We analyzed genetic diversity, population structure, and contemporary connectivity using 12 microsatellite loci genotyped from 154 multilocus genotypes collected from ten populations distributed across the Eastern waters (central Vietnam, South China Sea) and Western waters (An Giang coast, Gulf of Thailand), with distances among sampling locations ranging from 20 to 1,250 km. Results: High clonal diversity (R = 0.77–1.00) indicated that populations were maintained predominantly through sexual reproduction. Genetic diversity varied among populations, with the highest allelic richness observed in Van Phong Bay and Cam Ranh Bay, whereas Cu Mong Lagoon exhibited the lowest diversity. Population genetic analyses revealed significant genetic differentiation, restricted connectivity between the Eastern and Western waters, and a weak but significant pattern of isolation by distance. Nha Trang Bay was highly differentiated from all other populations and received very limited contemporary gene flow, suggesting the influence of habitat-associated isolation. Based on migration rates and relative genetic contribution, Van Phong Bay, Cam Ranh Bay, and Hai Tac Archipelago were identified as candidate source populations for conservation and restoration. Discussion: These findings provide a comprehensive assessment of the population genetic structure of E. acoroides in Vietnamese waters and provide a scientific basis for conserving and restoring tropical seagrass ecosystems dominated by E. acoroides .
SN - 1664-462X
ER -