Investigating Sex-Biased Dispersal in a Vulnerable MarineInvertebrate, the European Spiny Lobster (Palinuruselephas)

Laura Benestan, Alicia Dalongeville, Raquel Goñi, Sandra Mallol, David Díaz, Oscar Puebla, Stéphanie Manel,2026.Investigating Sex-Biased Dispersal in a Vulnerable MarineInvertebrate, the European Spiny Lobster (Palinuruselephas). Ecology and Evolution.Volume 16.Issue 6.Jun 2026. 10.1002/ece3.73617

Abstract:ABSTRACTDoes dispersal differ between the sexes? This question, anchored in a body of rich theoretical literature, has received little empir-ical attention in marine invertebrates. Yet, dispersal is a key ecological process with profound implications for species manage-ment and conservation. In this study, we investigated sex-biased dispersal in the European spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas) bysampling females and males from six marine reserves and their surroundings in the northwestern Mediterranean. By genotyping180 individuals at 8390 markers, we found that both sexes exhibited panmixia. Genetic differentiation estimates did not differsignificantly between sexes, despite a tendency toward slightly higher and more geographically structured estimates in females.Additionally, we identified 72 sex-linked markers with significant differences in heterozygosity between females (fully heterozy-gote) and males (fully homozygote). These markers not only allowed the sex assignment of 61 individuals of unknown sex butalso provided the first evidence for a ZZ/ZW sex determination system in P. elephas. Beyond their fundamental insights, thesesex-linked markers hold strong applied potential for species management, particularly in fisheries where sex-specific regulationsexist. Our findings underscore the power of genomic markers to study sex-biased dispersal, elucidate sex determination systems,and facilitate sex assignment, with important implications for species conservation and management.

Keywords:European spiny lobster,fisheries management,sex-biased dispersal,sex determination system.