Genetic Variation in the Asian Shore Crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus in Korean Coastal Waters as Inferred from Mitochondrial DNA Sequences

Abstract

Genetic variation in the Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus was determined from partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of the cytochrome b (Cytb) gene. Samples included 143 crabs from six localities along three coastlines in South Korea. A nucleotide sequence analysis revealed 38 variable sites in a 470-bp sequence, which defined 37 haplotypes. The haplotypes were not associated geographically and had a shallow genealogy. Pairwise <TEX>$F_{ST}$</TEX> tests and a two-dimensional scaling analysis revealed no significant genetic differentiation among most of the populations. The low pairwise comparison values, but significant genetic differentiation of a northeastern population from all other populations, might have been influenced by a restriction in gene flow caused by hydrographic conditions such as ocean boundaries. The high haplotype diversity, low nucleotide diversity, and time since H. sanguineus expansion in Korean coastal waters indicate rapid population growth and a recent, sudden expansion in the Late Pleistocene.