Study of microsatellite cross-species specificity in freshwater sponge families Lubomirskiidae and Spongillidae

Abstract

Abstract. The endemic Baikal sponges of the Lubomirskiidae family are a unique bouquet of closely related species formed from a common ancestor with the present-day cosmopolitans, Ephydatia muelleri, facing today are big ecological problems that require careful study. It is necessary to analyze the genetic structure of endemic freshwater sponge populations for a better understanding of the influence of such adaptive features on permanent habitat conditions as the loss of the ability to form gemmules. Microsatellite markers are best suited for analyzing population structure. The closest species to them, for which microsatellite markers have been developed to date, is Ephydatia fluviatilis. In this article, we check the suitability of these markers for population genetic analysis of Lubomirskia baikalensis and E.muelleri species using bioinformatic and molecular genetic methods of analysis, since the cross-species specificity of microsatellite markers has been shown for many closely related species. Despite the revealed 45.5% cross-species specificity for both L.baikalensis and E.muelleri at the level of genomic data, qualitative population genetic analysis requires the development of specific microsatellite markers de novo based on the genomic data of L.baikalensis and E.muelleri.