Abstract
Semi-sessile Mytilus mussels are used as indicators of climate changes, but their geographic distribution is not sufficiently known in the Arctic. The aim of this study was to investigate the taxonomic status and genetic differentiation of Mytilus populations in a Northwest Greenlandic fjord at Maarmorilik, impacted by contaminations from a former mine. In this study, mussels were collected at three sites differing in exposure to environmental factors. A total of 54 polymorphic SNPs found in the Mytilus EST and DNA sequences analyzed were successfully applied to 256 individuals. The results provided the first evidence for the existence of M. trossulus in Greenland. The mussel from M. trossulus and M. edulis taxa are shown to coexist and hybridize in the fjord. The three studied sites were found to differ significantly in the distribution of taxa with a higher prevalence of M. trossulus in the inner fjord. The identified M. edulis × M. trossulus hybrids mostly had a hybrid index score of about 0.5, indicating a similar number of alleles characteristic for M. trossulus and M. edulis. There was a low number of backcrosses between ‘pure’ taxa and hybrids. This newly discovered hybrid zone between the two taxa is unique in comparison with the Canadian populations. As Mytilus mussels in Greenland hitherto have been regarded as the one taxon M. edulis, the results have importance for biogeography and future monitoring and environmental studies.
Highlights
The blue mussel, Mytilus, is known to inhabit subarctic and arctic regions of Norway, Russia, Alaska, Canada and Greenland in addition to temperate areas of both the Northern and Southern hemispheres (Riginos and Henzler 2008; Vainolaand Strelkov 2011)
While until recently it has been believed that the distribution of M. trossulus was restricted to the North Pacific, eastern Canada and the Baltic Sea (Riginos and Cunningham 2005), more recent research has documented its occurrence on the coasts of Scotland, Iceland, the Barents Sea, the White Sea and Norway (Beaumont et al 2008; Zbawicka et al 2010; Kijewski et al 2011; Vainolaand Strelkov 2011)
Eight SNPs localized in DNA fragments and 25 SNPs identified in Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) sequences (Table 2) have already been used in the study of the European populations of the Mytilus mussels (Zbawicka et al 2012, 2014)
Summary
The blue mussel, Mytilus, is known to inhabit subarctic and arctic regions of Norway, Russia, Alaska, Canada and Greenland in addition to temperate areas of both the Northern and Southern hemispheres (Riginos and Henzler 2008; Vainolaand Strelkov 2011). While until recently it has been believed that the distribution of M. trossulus was restricted to the North Pacific, eastern Canada and the Baltic Sea (Riginos and Cunningham 2005), more recent research has documented its occurrence on the coasts of Scotland, Iceland, the Barents Sea, the White Sea and Norway (Beaumont et al 2008; Zbawicka et al 2010; Kijewski et al 2011; Vainolaand Strelkov 2011). The presence of M. edulis has been reported in the northern part of the Atlantic and European seas from the White and Barents Sea to the Atlantic coast of southern France and M. galloprovincialis in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and along the Atlantic coastline of Western Europe including the British northern islands (e.g., Vainolaand Hvilsom 1991; Borsa et al 1999; Bierne et al 2003; Riginos and Cunningham 2005; Riginos and Henzler 2008; Zbawicka et al 2012, 2014)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
