Genetic structure of wild European populations of the invasive Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas due to aquaculture practices

• Published in: Marine Biology
• Main Authors: Meistertzheim, A.-L., Arnaud-Haond, Sophie, Boudry, Pierre, Thébault, Marie-Therese
• Other Authors: Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin (LEMAR) (LEMAR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de recherches insulaires et observatoire de l'environnement (CRIOBE), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), IFREMER- Département Etude des Ecosystèmes Profonds (DEEP/LEP), Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), Laboratoire de Physiologie des Invertébrés Plouzané (LPI)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2013
• Subjects: [SDE]Environmental Sciences; Pacific; Crassostrea gigas; Pacific oyster
• Online Access: https://hal.univ-brest.fr/hal-00785362; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-2102-7

International audience As a result of aquaculture activities, Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793) have invaded European coasts. Using seven microsatellites, we found virtually no genetic differentiation between natural populations throughout the European range (from the south of the Wadden Sea (the Netherlands) to the south of France) and French cultivated oysters. The genetic homogeneity of Pacific oyster samples appears to be the result of repeated transfers from same seed stocks made for aquaculture and, to a lesser extent, widespread dispersal due to specific biological traits of this species. The only genetic differentiation of Sylt population in the north of the Wadden Sea (Germany) suggests a stronger, persistent impact of ongoing supply of new genetic material from hatchery production, corresponding to seeds selection made by breeders. All of our genetic data highlighted the importance of aquaculture practices on the genetic structure of the keystone invader C. gigas in Europe. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.