Microevolution of the noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) in the Southern Balkan Peninsula

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Research Article

Anastasia Laggis¹  Alexander Triantafyllidis¹  Theodore J. Abatzopoulos¹  Stefania Maniatsi¹  Athanasios D. Baxevanis¹  Alexandra Charalampidou² 

[1] Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece;Scientific Computing Office, Information Technology (IT) Center, School of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece;

关键词: Noble crayfish;    mtDNA;    16S;    COI;    Microsatellites;    Europe;    Balkans;    Phylogeny;    Populations;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12862-017-0971-6

 received in 2016-12-02, accepted in 2017-05-17,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) displays a complex historical and contemporary genetic status in Europe. The species divergence has been shaped by geological events (i.e. Pleistocene glaciations) and humanly induced impacts (i.e. translocations, pollution, etc.) on its populations due to species commercial value and its niche degradation. Until now, limited genetic information has been procured for the Balkan area and especially for the southernmost distribution of this species (i.e. Greece). It is well known that the rich habitat diversity of the Balkan Peninsula offers suitable conditions for genetically diversified populations. Thus, the present manuscript revisits the phylogenetic relationships of the noble crayfish in Europe and identifies the genetic make-up and the biogeographical patterns of the species in its southern range limit.ResultsMitochondrial markers (i.e. COI and 16S) were used in order to elucidate the genetic structure and diversity of the noble crayfish in Europe. Two of the six European haplotypic lineages, were found exclusively in Greece. These two lineages exhibited greater haplotypic richness when compared with the rest four (of “Central European” origin) while they showed high genetic diversity. Divergence time analysis identified that the majority of this divergence was captured through Pleistocene, suggesting a southern glacial refugium (Greece, southern Balkans). Furthermore, six microsatellite markers were used in order to define the factors affecting the genetic structure and demographic history of the species in Greece. The population structure analysis revealed six to nine genetic clusters and eight putative genetic barriers. Evidence of bottleneck effects in the last ~5000 years (due to climatic and geological events and human activities) is also afforded. Findings from several other research fields (e.g. life sciences, geology or even archaeology) have been utilized to perceive the genetic make-up of the noble crayfish.ConclusionsThe southernmost part of Balkans has played a major role as a glacial refugium for A. astacus. Such refugia have served as centres of expansion to northern regions. Recent history of the noble crayfish in southern Balkans reveals the influence of environmental (climate, geology and/or topology) and anthropogenic factors.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017