Genetic evidence against panmixia in the European eel

Abstract

The panmixia hypothesis - that all European eel (Anguilla anguilla) migrate to the Sargasso Sea of reproduction and comprise a single, randomly mating population - is widely accepted. If true, then this peculiar life history strategy would directly impact the population genetics of this species, and eels from European and north African rivers should belong to the same breeding population through the random dispersal of larvae.