GENETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF ARTEMIA TIBETIANA (CRUSTACEA: ANOSTRACA)

T.J. Abatzopoulos, I. Kappas, P. Bossier, P. Sorgeloos, J.A.Beardmore-2002

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 75: 333-344

Abstract:

The brine shrimp Artemia consists of a number of bisexual species and a large number of parthenogenetic forms, which collectively inhabit a wide range of hypersaline habitats. A recently described species (A. tibetiana) from a carbonate lake (Lagkor Co) in Tibet at an altitude of 4490 m has been tested with New World (A franciscana, USA, and A. franciscana, feral population Vietnam) and Old World species (A. salina, A. urmiana, A. sinica) for cross fertility. These tests show complete infertility between A. tibetiana and A. franciscana. Between A. tibetiana and A. urmiana, A. sinica partial fertility through to F₂ and F₃ generations is evident. Allozyme and RAPD comparison of A. tibetiana with A. franciscana (USA), A. franciscana (Vietnam), A. sinica (Mongolia) and A. urmiana (Iran) show that A. tibetiana is similar to other bisexual species in mean heterozygosity (0.074) but has a somewhat higher proportion of polymorphic loci (40%, similar to that of A. urmiana). The genetic distance between A. tibetiana and A. franciscana is 0.730, between A. tibetiana and A. urmiana is 0.475 and that between A. tibetiana and A. sinica is 0.114. F_IS estimates for A. tibetiana differ significantly from zero for six loci, mainly because of lack of fit to Hardy-Weinberg expectations. This may suggest that even within the limited area of Lagkor Co there are genetically distinct populations.

(School of Biological Sciences, University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK, e-mail of I. Kappas: kappasi@hol.gr)

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