Growth-related characters, condition factor, and genetic differentiation were investigated for a single cohort of young-of-the-year (YOY) sole within and among nurseries with differing levels of heavy metals (Cd, Cu and Zn) contamination in the two Charentais Straits, Bay of Biscay, France. Analyses were performed when individuals recruited (May), then after a full summer spent in each nursery (October). Levels of phenotypic and genetic diversity were compared, together with genetic differentiation at a candidate metallothionein (MT) locus and three putatively neutral microsatellite loci. No phenotypic or genetic differentiation was detected among nurseries in May, but significant variation at each phenotypic trait and at the multilocus level in October (P < 0.001). Single locus analysis demonstrated that only the MT locus was significantly differentiated among nurseries, whether corrected for null alleles or not (<(theta)over cap> = 0.0401 and (theta) over cap (corr.FreeNA) = 0.0326. respectively; P < 0.001). Results indicate that phenotypic differences among YOY sole nurseries present a molecular correlate acting at identical spatio-temporal scales among nurseries, potentially reflecting differential selective pressure among nurseries in response to contamination. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.