Reconciling the biogeography of an invader through recent and historic genetic patterns: the case of topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva

Emilie A Hardouin,Yahui Zhao,Rodolphe E Gozlan,David H Fletcher,J Robert Britton,Pascale Chevret,Demetra Andreou

doi:10.1007/s10530-018-1693-4

Abstract

The genetic variability and population structure of introduced species in their native range are potentially important determinants of their invasion success, yet data on native populations are often poorly represented in relevant studies. Consequently, to determine the contribution of genetic structuring in the native range of topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva to their high invasion success in Europe, we used a dataset comprising of 19 native and 11 non-native populations. A total of 666 samples were analysed at 9 polymorphic microsatellite loci and sequenced for 597 bp of mitochondrial DNA. The analysis revealed three distinct lineages in the native range, of which two haplogroups were prevalent in China (100%), with a general split around the Qinling Mountains. Dating of both haplogroups closely matched past geological events. More recently, its distribution has been influenced by fish movements in aquaculture, resulting in gene flow between previously separated populations in Northern and Southern China. Their phylogeography in Europe indicate as few as two introductions events and two dispersal routes. Microsatellite data revealed native populations had higher genetic diversity than those in the invasive range, a contrast to previous studies on P. parva. This study confirms the importance of extensive sampling in both the native and non-native range of invasive species in evaluating the influence of genetic variability on invasion success.

Highlights

A central theme in evolutionary biology is to understand the processes of how species adapt to changing environmental conditions (Bell and Gonzalez 2011; Ghalambor et al 2007)
The Mantel test indicated that populations that were geographically furthest apart were more genetically distant (Mantel statistic r = 0.5472; p = 0.002). These genetic results for native and invasive P. parva populations confirm the importance of extensive sampling in both ranges for invasive species in evaluating the influence of genetic variability on invasion success
Analyses revealed that P. parva had higher genetic variability in the native range than the invasive range, contrasting with the previous findings of Simon et al (2011, 2015)

Summary

Introduction

A central theme in evolutionary biology is to understand the processes of how species adapt to changing environmental conditions (Bell and Gonzalez 2011; Ghalambor et al 2007). The colonisation of the new environment by the introduced species might be impeded by factors including competition for food resources and the unpredictable impacts of native parasites on new hosts (Kumschick et al 2015), which can constrain its ability to establish self-sustaining populations. If they are to be successful, invasive species must respond quickly and efficiently to the selective regime imposed by the colonised ecosystem (Broennimann and Guisan 2008)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion