Colonization history and human translocations explain the population genetic structure of the noble crayfish ( Astacus astacus) in Fennoscandia: Implications for the management of a critically endangered species
Abstract The noble crayfish ( Astacus astacus ) is an endangered freshwater species in Europe. The main threat is from lethal crayfish plague, caused by the oomycete Aphanomyces astaci that has been spread over Europe by introduced North American crayfish species, acting as chronic carriers of the d...
Published in: | Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , |
Other Authors: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2021
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3632 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/aqc.3632 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/aqc.3632 |
id |
crwiley:10.1002/aqc.3632 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crwiley:10.1002/aqc.3632 2024-09-15T18:05:52+00:00 Colonization history and human translocations explain the population genetic structure of the noble crayfish ( Astacus astacus) in Fennoscandia: Implications for the management of a critically endangered species Dannewitz, Johan Palm, Stefan Edsman, Lennart Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas 2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3632 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/aqc.3632 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/aqc.3632 en eng Wiley http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems volume 31, issue 8, page 1970-1982 ISSN 1052-7613 1099-0755 journal-article 2021 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3632 2024-07-18T04:26:20Z Abstract The noble crayfish ( Astacus astacus ) is an endangered freshwater species in Europe. The main threat is from lethal crayfish plague, caused by the oomycete Aphanomyces astaci that has been spread over Europe by introduced North American crayfish species, acting as chronic carriers of the disease. Most of the remaining noble crayfish populations are found in the Baltic Sea area, and there is an urgent need to implement conservation actions to slow down or halt the extinction rate in this region. However, limited knowledge about the genetic structure of populations in this area has so far precluded the development of conservation strategies that take genetic aspects into consideration. Key objectives of this large‐scale genetic study, covering 77 locations mainly from northern Europe, were to describe the contemporary population genetic structure of the noble crayfish in the Fennoscandian peninsula (Sweden, Norway, and Finland), taking postglacial colonization history into account, and to evaluate how human activities such as stocking have affected the genetic structure of the populations. Analyses of 15 microsatellite markers revealed three main genetic clusters corresponding to populations in northern, middle, and southern Fennoscandia, with measures of genetic diversity being markedly higher within populations in the southern cluster. The observed genetic structure probably mirrors two main colonizations of the Baltic Sea basin after the last glaciation period. At the same time, several deviations from this pattern were observed, reflecting past human translocations of noble crayfish. The results are discussed in relation to the conservation and management of this critically endangered species. In particular, we recommend increased efforts to protect the few remaining noble crayfish populations in southern Fennoscandia and the use of genetic information when planning stocking activities, such as reintroductions following local extinctions. Article in Journal/Newspaper Fennoscandia Fennoscandian Wiley Online Library Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 31 8 1970 1982 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract The noble crayfish ( Astacus astacus ) is an endangered freshwater species in Europe. The main threat is from lethal crayfish plague, caused by the oomycete Aphanomyces astaci that has been spread over Europe by introduced North American crayfish species, acting as chronic carriers of the disease. Most of the remaining noble crayfish populations are found in the Baltic Sea area, and there is an urgent need to implement conservation actions to slow down or halt the extinction rate in this region. However, limited knowledge about the genetic structure of populations in this area has so far precluded the development of conservation strategies that take genetic aspects into consideration. Key objectives of this large‐scale genetic study, covering 77 locations mainly from northern Europe, were to describe the contemporary population genetic structure of the noble crayfish in the Fennoscandian peninsula (Sweden, Norway, and Finland), taking postglacial colonization history into account, and to evaluate how human activities such as stocking have affected the genetic structure of the populations. Analyses of 15 microsatellite markers revealed three main genetic clusters corresponding to populations in northern, middle, and southern Fennoscandia, with measures of genetic diversity being markedly higher within populations in the southern cluster. The observed genetic structure probably mirrors two main colonizations of the Baltic Sea basin after the last glaciation period. At the same time, several deviations from this pattern were observed, reflecting past human translocations of noble crayfish. The results are discussed in relation to the conservation and management of this critically endangered species. In particular, we recommend increased efforts to protect the few remaining noble crayfish populations in southern Fennoscandia and the use of genetic information when planning stocking activities, such as reintroductions following local extinctions. |
author2 |
Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Dannewitz, Johan Palm, Stefan Edsman, Lennart |
spellingShingle |
Dannewitz, Johan Palm, Stefan Edsman, Lennart Colonization history and human translocations explain the population genetic structure of the noble crayfish ( Astacus astacus) in Fennoscandia: Implications for the management of a critically endangered species |
author_facet |
Dannewitz, Johan Palm, Stefan Edsman, Lennart |
author_sort |
Dannewitz, Johan |
title |
Colonization history and human translocations explain the population genetic structure of the noble crayfish ( Astacus astacus) in Fennoscandia: Implications for the management of a critically endangered species |
title_short |
Colonization history and human translocations explain the population genetic structure of the noble crayfish ( Astacus astacus) in Fennoscandia: Implications for the management of a critically endangered species |
title_full |
Colonization history and human translocations explain the population genetic structure of the noble crayfish ( Astacus astacus) in Fennoscandia: Implications for the management of a critically endangered species |
title_fullStr |
Colonization history and human translocations explain the population genetic structure of the noble crayfish ( Astacus astacus) in Fennoscandia: Implications for the management of a critically endangered species |
title_full_unstemmed |
Colonization history and human translocations explain the population genetic structure of the noble crayfish ( Astacus astacus) in Fennoscandia: Implications for the management of a critically endangered species |
title_sort |
colonization history and human translocations explain the population genetic structure of the noble crayfish ( astacus astacus) in fennoscandia: implications for the management of a critically endangered species |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3632 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/aqc.3632 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/aqc.3632 |
genre |
Fennoscandia Fennoscandian |
genre_facet |
Fennoscandia Fennoscandian |
op_source |
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems volume 31, issue 8, page 1970-1982 ISSN 1052-7613 1099-0755 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3632 |
container_title |
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems |
container_volume |
31 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
1970 |
op_container_end_page |
1982 |
_version_ |
1810443374150287360 |