Population genetic structure and molecular diversity of the red swamp crayfish in China based on mtDNA COI gene...

Population genetic structure and molecular diversity are closely related to adaptability, potential and evolutionary of a species, which also reflects its population history. We analyzed the molecular variability and genetic structure among 24 populations of the red swamp crayfish in China based on the COI region. The COI of 687 bp aligned across 44 haplotypes, the average AT content (68.1%) was slightly higher than the AT content (31.9%). AMOVA indicated that a high proportion of the total genetic variance was attributable to variations within populations (87.57%), whereas only 12.43% occurred among populations. The Fst values were between 0.016 and 0.585, and the Nm values were between 0.178 and 15.182 in each population. All of the AMOVA, Fst statistics and Nm values suggested low genetic differentiation, but a high level genetic diversity existed in Chinese populations of Procambarus clarkii. The phylogenetic trees showed that some geographical populations were irregularly distributed according to the river systems while others were matched well, suggesting that genetic differentiation is created largely by geographic isolation.