Development and characterization of 29 microsatellite markers for Ligumia nasuta (Bivalvia: Unionidae) using an Illumina sequencing approach

Abstract

Ligumia nasuta (Say, 1817; Eastern Pondmussel) is an imperiled freshwater mussel (Unionidae) in eastern North America. Population declines in the Laurentian Great Lakes resulting from the introduction of dreissenid mussels and habitat destruction in the 20 th Century have greatly reduced and limited its distribution. To properly inform restoration and management efforts for L. nasuta, fine-scale genetic analyses must be performed on the remnant populations. This study used Illumina paired-end shotgun sequencing to identify potential microsatellite loci for L. nasuta, utilizing two samples to develop the Illumina paired-end shotgun library. Forty-eight primer pairs were tested on the remaining 24 samples. Twenty-nine of the 48 microsatellite primer sets screened were successfully amplified using 24 L. nasuta samples collected from the Great Lakes watershed. The estimated fragment size ranged from 167-445 base-pairs (bp) and the number of alleles per locus varied between 5 and 16 (mean = 9.7). Only five of the loci deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg expectations after Bonferroni corrections. Highlights  Microsatellite loci identified from two specimens using Illumina sequencing  48 primer pairs tested for amplification success on 24 L. nasuta specimens  29 loci were successfully screened and characterized

Population structure, genetic diversity, and colonization history of the eastern pondmussel, Sagittunio nasutus, in the Great Lakes drainage

“…This study was successful in defining genetic populations for S. nasutus through the use of more detailed microsatellite markers (Scott et al, ) than the mtDNA markers used by Scott et al (). The Lake Erie drainage appears to be the region of initial colonization from the Atlantic coast, with subsequent colonization events throughout the Great Lakes region.…”

“…A selection of 10 microsatellite loci developed specifically for S. nasutus were used in this study (Table ; Scott et al, ). The loci chosen were those that did not deviate from Hardy–Weinberg equilibria (HWE) during the development and characterization study (Scott et al, ), and that performed the best (i.e. gave the most consistent amplifications) after optimization.…”

“…New highly variable microsatellite DNA loci have been developed specifically for S. nasutus (Scott et al, ) and have been used for the fine‐scale population genetic analyses described in this study. This study has three main objectives to analyse the remaining genetic diversity of S. nasutus in the Great Lakes region: (i) to delineate genetically distinct management units in the remaining habitats; (ii) to assess the genetic diversity of the remnant populations and make suggestions for future management projects; and (iii) to determine whether the remnant populations have experienced a recent genetic bottleneck or whether there is evidence of a founder effect.…”

Freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas in Canada

“…Historically, Ligumia nasuta was common and widely distributed in nearshore and coastal areas of the Great Lakes region, low gradient tributaries and some inland lakes (Scott et al 2016). However, the introduction of dreissenid mussels in the late 1980s and early 1990s led to the decline of the species (Scott et al 2016).…”

“…Historically, Ligumia nasuta was common and widely distributed in nearshore and coastal areas of the Great Lakes region, low gradient tributaries and some inland lakes (Scott et al 2016). However, the introduction of dreissenid mussels in the late 1980s and early 1990s led to the decline of the species (Scott et al 2016). biodiversity include competition with invasive species, low head dams potentially threatening the tributary rivers' flow regime and pollution by agricultural and forestry effluents (pesticides; herbicides; nutrient loading and sedimentation).…”