Allozyme Variation and Population Structure of Striped Mullet (Mugil cephalus) in Florida

Allozymes detected electrophoretically were used to estimate spatial and temporal components of genetic variation among populations of striped mullet in Florida. Total heterozygosities and gene diversities averaged 0.104 for 31 presumptive loci. Spatial and temporal variation accounted for 0.96 and 1.62%, respectively, of the total observed gene diversity. Tests for homogeneity of allele frequencies, deviations from Hardy-Weinberg genotypic proportions and gametic disequilibrium were, with one exception, nonsignificant. As a result, mullet collected from both coasts of Florida appeared to represent random samples from a single gene pool. These results are consistent with the interpretation that gene flow within and between the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida is sufficient to maintain a genetically homogeneous population.