Phylogeography and genetic connectivity of the marine macro-alga Sargassum ilicifolium (Phaeophyceae, Ochrophyta) in the northwestern Pacific.

The evolutionary influences of historical and contemporary factors on the population connectivity and phylogeographic structure of a brown seaweed, Sargassum ilicifolium, were elucidated using the nuclear ITS2 and mitochondrial COI markers for the collections newly sampled within its distribution range in the northwestern Pacific (NWP). Significant genetic structure at variable levels was identified between populations (pairwise F ) and among populations grouped by geographical proximity (Φ among regions). The adjacent groups of populations with moderate structure revealed from AMOVA appeared to have high genetic connectivity.