Genetic Analysis Based on Mitochondrial <i>nad2</i> Gene Reveals a Recent Population Expansion of the Invasive Mussel, <i>Mytella strigata</i>, in China
<i>Mytella strigata</i> is a highly adaptable invasive alien species that has been established in coastal China since 2014. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is an important tool for studying the evolution and population genetics of invasive species. In this study, the mitochondrial genome of &l...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Genes |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/14/11/2038 |
| Summary: | <i>Mytella strigata</i> is a highly adaptable invasive alien species that has been established in coastal China since 2014. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is an important tool for studying the evolution and population genetics of invasive species. In this study, the mitochondrial genome of <i>M. strigata</i> from China was sequenced by Illumina high-throughput sequencing and characterized with 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs). By assessing the selective pressure of 13 PCGs, the <i>nad2</i> gene had the fastest evolutionary rate and was finally selected for population genetic analysis. A total of 285 <i>nad2</i> sequences from seven <i>M. strigata</i> populations in China were analyzed and showed obviously T-rich and C-rich characteristics. According to population genetic diversity analysis, all the seven populations had haplotype (gene) diversity (<i>Hd</i>) ≥ 0.5 and nucleotide diversity (<i>Pi</i>) < 0.005. Haplotype networks showed a “star” distribution. Population historical dynamic analyses showed that Fu’s Fs and Tajima’s D values of all populations were negative except the Qukou (QK) and Beihai (BH) populations. The Zhangzhou (ZJ) and Xiamen (XM) populations were unimodal while the other populations were multimodal. These results suggested that the population of <i>M. strigata</i> in China may have passed the bottleneck period and is currently in a state of population expansion. |
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| ISSN: | 2073-4425 |