A first report on coexistence and hybridization of Mytilus trossulus and M. edulis mussels in Greenland

Semi-sessile Mytilus mussels are used as indicators of climate changes, but their geographic distribution is not sufficiently known in the Arctic. The aim of this study was to investigate the taxonomic status and genetic differentiation of Mytilus populations in a Northwest Greenlandic fjord at Maar...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Biology
Main Authors: Wenne, R., Bach, L., Zbawicka, M., Strand, J., McDonald, J. H.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2016
Subjects:
Greenland
Hybrid index
Hybridization
M. trossulus
Mytilus edulis
Population structure
SNPs
Arctic
Maarmorilik
greenlandic
Polar Biology
Online Access:https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/a-first-report-on-coexistence-and-hybridization-of-mytilus-trossulus-and-m-edulis-mussels-in-greenland(e6706ba3-a9bf-4708-a1d1-08148329d613).html
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1785-x
http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84955638528&partnerID=8YFLogxK
Description
Summary:Semi-sessile Mytilus mussels are used as indicators of climate changes, but their geographic distribution is not sufficiently known in the Arctic. The aim of this study was to investigate the taxonomic status and genetic differentiation of Mytilus populations in a Northwest Greenlandic fjord at Maarmorilik, impacted by contaminations from a former mine. In this study, mussels were collected at three sites differing in exposure to environmental factors. A total of 54 polymorphic SNPs found in the Mytilus EST and DNA sequences analyzed were successfully applied to 256 individuals. The results provided the first evidence for the existence of M. trossulus in Greenland. The mussel from M.trossulus and M. edulis taxa are shown to coexist and hybridize in the fjord. The three studied sites were found to differ significantly in the distribution of taxa with a higher prevalence of M. trossulus in the inner fjord. The identified M. edulis × M. trossulus hybrids mostly had a hybrid index score of about 0.5, indicating a similar number of alleles characteristic for M. trossulus and M. edulis. There was a low number of backcrosses between ‘pure’ taxa and hybrids. This newly discovered hybrid zone between the two taxa is unique in comparison with the Canadian populations. As Mytilus mussels in Greenland hitherto have been regarded as the one taxon M. edulis, the results have importance for biogeography and future monitoring and environmental studies.

Similar Items