Genome analysis of the monoclonal marbled crayfish reveals genetic separation over a short evolutionary timescale

Olena Maiakovska,Fabio Ercoli,Roman Novitsky,Julian Gutekunst,Carine Legrand,Lucian Pârvulescu,András Weiperth,Frank Lyko,Katharina Hanna,Arnold Sciberras,Antonin Kouba,Alan Deidun,Sina Tönges,Ranja Andriantsoa

doi:10.1038/s42003-020-01588-8

Abstract

The marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis) represents a very recently evolved parthenogenetic freshwater crayfish species that has invaded diverse habitats in Europe and in Madagascar. However, population genetic analyses have been hindered by the homogeneous genetic structure of the population and the lack of suitable tools for data analysis. We have used whole-genome sequencing to characterize reference specimens from various known wild populations. In parallel, we established a whole-genome sequencing data analysis pipeline for the population genetic analysis of nearly monoclonal genomes. Our results provide evidence for systematic genetic differences between geographically separated populations and illustrate the emerging differentiation of the marbled crayfish genome. We also used mark-recapture population size estimation in combination with genetic data to model the growth pattern of marbled crayfish populations. Our findings uncover evolutionary dynamics in the marbled crayfish genome over a very short evolutionary timescale and identify the rapid growth of marbled crayfish populations as an important factor for ecological monitoring.

Highlights

The marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis) represents a very recently evolved parthenogenetic freshwater crayfish species that has invaded diverse habitats in Europe and in Madagascar
For a systematic genetic comparison of marbled crayfish populations in Europe, we surveyed known populations. This revealed that some reports had described transient appearances of single animals or groups of animals, while others described wild populations that have stably persisted over several years
Our results provide a systematic survey of stable wild marbled crayfish populations in Europe (Fig. 1)

Summary

Introduction

The marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis) represents a very recently evolved parthenogenetic freshwater crayfish species that has invaded diverse habitats in Europe and in Madagascar. Complete genome sequences from parthenogenetic animals have presented unique features, and it has been suggested that parthenogenetic genomes evolve toward effective haploidy, as predicted by the Meselson effect[6,7]. These processes require parthenogenesis over millions of years. In combination with microsatellite analyses, suggested that marbled crayfish utilize apomictic parthenogenesis, which results in genetically uniform offspring[14,15]

Methods

Results

Conclusion