Analysis of the genetic variability of Artemia franciscana Kellogg, 1906 from the Great Salt Lake (USA) based on mtDNA sequences, ISSR genomic fingerprinting and biometry

Abstract

The genetic structure of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana, an extremophile halophilic microcrustacean, from the Great Salt Lake (USA), was investigated by analysis of nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), genomic fingerprinting by ISSR-PCR (inter-simple sequence repeats polymerase chain reaction) and biometry. Samples from six different geographical localities of Great Salt Lake revealed ten distinct haplotypes with a mean high level of haplotype diversity (HD = 0.6). Phylogenetic and genetic fingerprinting analyses supported the null hypothesis, that the brine shrimps of this lake form a panmictic gene pool with a low level of genetic differentiation index (F ST = 0.05) and a high rate of gene flow (Nm = 2.8) between geographical areas. Moreover, morphological parameters revealed no population structure among all examined populations. Neutrality tests and mismatch distribution revealed that A. franciscana has undergone a recent population expansion. In spite of hypersaline conditions in the Northern (Gunnison Bay) regions of the Great Salt Lake, the genetic population structures of different areas of the lake are not linked to ecological or limnological conditions. Therefore, A. franciscana from the Great Salt Lake should be considered as a single management unit for conservation.