Population study of Astarte sulcata, da Costa, 1778, (Mollusca, Bivalvia) from two Norwegian fjords based on the fatty acid composition of the adductor muscle

Multivariate analyses of fatty acid composition of Astarte sulcata, collected in Northwest Norway in October 2005, showed significant differences between geographically close populations. This biochemical heterogeneity may have been caused by high genetic drift due to the direct development of the species. The results indicate that deep basins may provide an alternative bathymetric guide for spreading of offspring rather than being carried on currents crossing such basins. Thus, the combination of biology and topography might have led to the observed pattern that populations from opposite sides of a fjord are biochemically more distant than populations along the same side of a fjord/basin.