Microsatellite evidence of dispersal mechanism of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) in the Pearl River basin and implications for its management

Abstract

Discerning the dispersal patterns of invasive species is critically important for the design of effective management strategies and the development of appropriate theoretical models predicting the spatial expansion of introduced populations. Post-introduction dispersal may occur naturally or via human transport, but for many organisms, assessing the relative contribution of each of these factors is difficult using traditional methods. Here, we explored the genetic patterns associated with the spread of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) among 21 populations in the Pearl River basin and 2 peripheral populations in the Yangtze River basin. We found the genetic diversity of P. clarkii in the Pearl River basin was somewhat lower than in the Yangtze River basin. We also found (1) there was significant genetic differentiation between populations, (2) genetic differentiation was not related to geographic distance (i.e., isolation by distance), and (3) a Bayesian assignment analysis revealed three distinct genetic clusters and genetic admixture. Our results therefore provide evidence that human-mediated multiple introductions occurred in the Pearl River basin. Anthropogenic activities such as commercial transportation were likely responsible for the long-distance dispersal of P. clarkii. This study provides useful information for developing management strategies.

Otolith Microchemistry and Demographic History Provide New Insight into the Migratory Behavior and Heterogeneous Genetic Divergence of Coilia grayii in the Pearl River

“…Considering that the HX population was farthest from the other populations, the result excluding Hengxian was also significant (R 2 = 0.4916, p = 0.0167 *). Similar phylogeographic divergence has been reported in other aquatic organisms (i.e., red swamp crayfish and darters) in the Pearl River basin [79,80]. The IBD pattern also agrees well with the life history of this species.…”

Genetic drift during the spread phase of a biological invasion

“…We further speculate that the colonization of the marsh of Mès probably resulted from a secondary introduction event using an inoculum from the marsh of Brière given that the allelic composition of the network of Mès was nested in that of the marsh of Brière. Comparable variations in the levels of genetic diversity between waterbodies were found elsewhere (Huang et al, 2017;Li et al, 2012;Paulson & Martin, 2014;Yi et al, 2018), but such a fine genetic signal of crayfish spread was not identified, probably blurred by multiple introduction events at several locations and/or recurrent gene flow between populations after crayfish was introduced.…”

“…The species acclimatizes to a wide range of aquatic environments, and generally spreads rapidly once introduced (e.g., Capinha, Brotons, & Anastácio, ; Lodge et al, ). Recent studies have investigated the genetic structure of populations of the red swamp crayfish at large spatial scales, and highlighted the predominant role of anthropogenic dispersal in its spread across regions (Huang, Tang, Cai, Lin, & Wu, ; Yi et al, ). Tracking studies have also revealed its capacity to travel several kilometres (Aquiloni, Ilhéu, & Gherardi, ; Barbaresi, Santini, Tricarico, & Gherardi, ; Gherardi & Barbaresi, ; Gherardi, Tricarico, & Ilhéu, ), and to resist desiccation well enough to cross terrestrial habitats (Banha & Anastácio, ; Ramalho & Anastácio, ).…”

Comparative transcriptomic analysis of the different developmental stages of ovary in red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii

“…As a model organism, P. clarkii is not only used to investigate invasive routes and dispersal patterns [11,18], but also to perform research on animal behavior [19][20][21] and environmental stress and toxicity [22][23][24][25]. With the rapid development of the aquaculture industry, P. clarkii is often infected by various pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and spiroplasmas [26][27][28][29], resulting in severe decreases in P. clarkii production.…”