Phylogeography of the Atlantic Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> (Brachyura: Portunidae) in the Americas versus the Mediterranean Sea: Determining Origins and Genetic Connectivity of a Large-Scale Invasion
The American blue crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> is a particularly successful invader in estuarine ecosystems worldwide. Despite increasing awareness of its potential harm, the invasion history and underlying genetic diversity of this species within the Mediterranean Sea remain unknown....
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Biology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/1/35 |
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| author | Christoph D. Schubart Temim Deli Giorgio Mancinelli Lucrezia Cilenti Alberto Gil Fernández Silvia Falco Selina Berger |
| author_facet | Christoph D. Schubart Temim Deli Giorgio Mancinelli Lucrezia Cilenti Alberto Gil Fernández Silvia Falco Selina Berger |
| author_sort | Christoph D. Schubart |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The American blue crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> is a particularly successful invader in estuarine ecosystems worldwide. Despite increasing awareness of its potential harm, the invasion history and underlying genetic diversity of this species within the Mediterranean Sea remain unknown. This study constitutes the first large-scale approach to study phylogeographic patterns of <i>C. sapidus</i> in Europe, facilitated by the first comparison of all currently available COI sequence data. For this investigation, 71 individuals of <i>C. sapidus</i> were newly analyzed and the entire COI gene was sequenced and used for a comparative phylogeographic analyses. For the first time, two separately used adjacent regions of this gene were combined in a single dataset. This allowed emphasizing the prevalence of three geographically defined lineages within the native range: (1) eastern North America, including the Gulf of Mexico, (2) the Caribbean, and (3) Brazil. New data from the Mediterranean reveal that non-native populations of <i>C. sapidus</i> are characterized by a conspicuously low genetic diversity (except for Turkey, where stocking took place), and that there is surprisingly low connectivity among established populations. The occurrence of strong genetic bottlenecks suggests few founder individuals. This confirms that, even under a scenario of restricted large-scale gene flow, a very limited number of invasive individuals is sufficient for a massive impact. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:32:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-950d1d9887ef4ea9b7d78d08df327a60 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:32:16Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-950d1d9887ef4ea9b7d78d08df327a602023-11-30T21:16:26ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372022-12-011213510.3390/biology12010035Phylogeography of the Atlantic Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> (Brachyura: Portunidae) in the Americas versus the Mediterranean Sea: Determining Origins and Genetic Connectivity of a Large-Scale InvasionChristoph D. Schubart0Temim Deli1Giorgio Mancinelli2Lucrezia Cilenti3Alberto Gil Fernández4Silvia Falco5Selina Berger6Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, GermanyZoology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, GermanyDepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies—DiSTeBA, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, ItalyNational Research Council (CNR), Institute of Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnologies (IRBIM), 71010 Lesina, ItalyInstituto de Investigación para la Gestión Integrada de las Zonas Costeras (IGIC), Universitat Politècnica de València, 46730 Grao de Gandía, SpainInstituto de Investigación para la Gestión Integrada de las Zonas Costeras (IGIC), Universitat Politècnica de València, 46730 Grao de Gandía, SpainZoology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, GermanyThe American blue crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> is a particularly successful invader in estuarine ecosystems worldwide. Despite increasing awareness of its potential harm, the invasion history and underlying genetic diversity of this species within the Mediterranean Sea remain unknown. This study constitutes the first large-scale approach to study phylogeographic patterns of <i>C. sapidus</i> in Europe, facilitated by the first comparison of all currently available COI sequence data. For this investigation, 71 individuals of <i>C. sapidus</i> were newly analyzed and the entire COI gene was sequenced and used for a comparative phylogeographic analyses. For the first time, two separately used adjacent regions of this gene were combined in a single dataset. This allowed emphasizing the prevalence of three geographically defined lineages within the native range: (1) eastern North America, including the Gulf of Mexico, (2) the Caribbean, and (3) Brazil. New data from the Mediterranean reveal that non-native populations of <i>C. sapidus</i> are characterized by a conspicuously low genetic diversity (except for Turkey, where stocking took place), and that there is surprisingly low connectivity among established populations. The occurrence of strong genetic bottlenecks suggests few founder individuals. This confirms that, even under a scenario of restricted large-scale gene flow, a very limited number of invasive individuals is sufficient for a massive impact.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/1/35Atlantic Oceaninvasion biologygene flowgenetic bottleneckfounder effectCOI mitochondrial DNA |
| spellingShingle | Christoph D. Schubart Temim Deli Giorgio Mancinelli Lucrezia Cilenti Alberto Gil Fernández Silvia Falco Selina Berger Phylogeography of the Atlantic Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> (Brachyura: Portunidae) in the Americas versus the Mediterranean Sea: Determining Origins and Genetic Connectivity of a Large-Scale Invasion Biology Atlantic Ocean invasion biology gene flow genetic bottleneck founder effect COI mitochondrial DNA |
| title | Phylogeography of the Atlantic Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> (Brachyura: Portunidae) in the Americas versus the Mediterranean Sea: Determining Origins and Genetic Connectivity of a Large-Scale Invasion |
| title_full | Phylogeography of the Atlantic Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> (Brachyura: Portunidae) in the Americas versus the Mediterranean Sea: Determining Origins and Genetic Connectivity of a Large-Scale Invasion |
| title_fullStr | Phylogeography of the Atlantic Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> (Brachyura: Portunidae) in the Americas versus the Mediterranean Sea: Determining Origins and Genetic Connectivity of a Large-Scale Invasion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Phylogeography of the Atlantic Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> (Brachyura: Portunidae) in the Americas versus the Mediterranean Sea: Determining Origins and Genetic Connectivity of a Large-Scale Invasion |
| title_short | Phylogeography of the Atlantic Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> (Brachyura: Portunidae) in the Americas versus the Mediterranean Sea: Determining Origins and Genetic Connectivity of a Large-Scale Invasion |
| title_sort | phylogeography of the atlantic blue crab i callinectes sapidus i brachyura portunidae in the americas versus the mediterranean sea determining origins and genetic connectivity of a large scale invasion |
| topic | Atlantic Ocean invasion biology gene flow genetic bottleneck founder effect COI mitochondrial DNA |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/1/35 |
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