Register      Login
Marine and Freshwater Research Marine and Freshwater Research Society
Advances in the aquatic sciences
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Phylogeographic structure of a freshwater crayfish (Decapoda : Parastacidae : Cherax preissii) in south-western Australia

Gavin Gouws A B D , Barbara A. Stewart B and Savel R. Daniels C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

B Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Terrace, Albany, WA 6330, Australia.

C Evolutionary Genomics Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa.

D Corresponding author. Email: ggouws@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 57(8) 837-848 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF05248
Submitted: 13 December 2005  Accepted: 6 October 2006   Published: 28 November 2006

Abstract

Although phylogeographic patterns of freshwater decapods elsewhere in Australia are well documented, little is known of the phylogeography and biogeography of the endemic freshwater fauna of south-western Australia. Here, the phylogeographic structure of a freshwater crayfish, Cherax preissii Erichson, 1846, was investigated to determine contemporary and historical patterns of gene flow and to examined evolutionary and biogeographical scenarios. Allozyme and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I mitochondrial DNA data were collected from 15 populations, sampled across the known C. preissii distribution. Both markers revealed a clear distinction and separation among populations occurring in the north-western and southern portions of the distribution. Inferences of allopatric fragmentation and molecular dating attributed the divergence of the aquatic fauna of these regions to periods of Pliocene–Pleistocene aridity. Connectivity appeared to be greater within each of these regions. Evidence suggested contemporary, but not ongoing, gene flow, particularly within the southern region. This was possibly facilitated by dispersal during pluvial Pleistocene periods or drainage connectivity during episodic marine regressions. The divergence and distributions of these lineages parallels patterns seen in other freshwater crayfish of the region. More explicit investigation of these and further fine-scale phylogeographic studies may contribute to the understanding of biogeography and evolution in the south-west, and may further refine currently recognised biogeographical regions.

Additional keywords: allozymes, biogeography, COI mtDNA, NCA.


Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a research grant from the University of Western Australia (UWA). Collections were made under permits issued by the Government of Western Australia’s Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM). We gratefully acknowledge the field and laboratory assistance provided by Geraldine Janicke and Anna Price (Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management) and Dr Bettine Jansen van Vuuren and Hein van der Worm (Evolutionary Genomics Group). We thank the latter institution for the use of their molecular laboratory facilities and the Western Australia Government’s Department of Agriculture – Albany Office for the use of laboratory space for completion of the allozyme work. We are grateful for the discussion, input and suggestions provided by the population genetics group at the School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia.


References

Austin, C. M. (1996). Systematics of the freshwater crayfish genus Cherax Erichson (Decapoda: Parastacidae) in northern and eastern Australia: electrophoretic and morphological variation. Australian Journal of Zoology 44, 259–296.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Felsenstein J. (2002). ‘PHYLIP (Phylogeny Inference Package), version 3.6a3.’ (Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington: Seattle, WA.)

Folmer, O. M. , Black, M. , Hoeh, R. , Lutz, R. , and Vrijenhoek, R. (1994). DNA primers for amplification of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I from diverse metazoan invertebrates. Molecular Marine Biology and Biotechnology 3, 294–299.
PubMed | Goudet J. (2003). ‘FSTAT, a Program for Windows (95 and above) to Estimate and Test Gene Diversities and Fixation Indices, version 2.9.3.’ (Institute of Ecology, University of Lausanne: Lausanne, Switzerland.)

Gouws, G. , Stewart, B. A. , and Daniels, S. R. (2004). Cryptic species within the freshwater isopod Mesamphisopus capensis (Phreatoicidea: Amphisopodidae) in the Western Cape, South Africa: allozyme and 12S rRNA sequence data and morphometric evidence. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 81, 235–253.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Hillis D. M., Mable B. K., Larson A., Davis S. K., and Zimmer E. A. (1996). Nucleic acids IV: sequencing and cloning. In ‘Molecular Systematics’. (Eds D. M. Hillis, C. Moritz and B. K. Mable.) pp. 321–381. (Sinauer Associates Inc.: Sunderland, MA.)

Hopper, S. D. (1979). Biogeographical aspects of speciation in the southwest Australian flora. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 10, 399–422.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Hopper S. D., Harvey M. S., Chappill J. A., Main A. R., and York Main B. (1996). The Western Australia biota as Gondwanan heritage – a review. In ‘Gondwanan Heritage: Past, Present and Future of the Western Australian Biota’. (Eds S. D. Hopper, J. A. Chappill, M. S. Harvey and A. S. George.) pp. 1–46. (Surrey Beatty and Sons: Chipping Norton.)

Hughes, J. M. , and Hillyer, M. J. (2003). Patterns of connectivity among populations of Cherax destructor (Decapoda: Parastacidae) in western Queensland, Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 54, 587–596.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Schneider S., Roessli D., and Excoffier L. (2000). ‘Arlequin Version 2.000. A Software for Population Genetics Data Analysis.’ (Genetics and Biometry Laboratory, University of Geneva: Geneva.)

Shih, H.-T. , Hung, H.-C. , Schubart, C. D. , Chen, C. A. , and Chang, H.-W. (2006). Intraspecific genetic diversity of the endemic freshwater crab Candidiopotamon rathbunae (Decapoda, Brachyura, Potamidae) reflects five million years of the geological history of Taiwan. Journal of Biogeography 33, 980–989.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Swofford D. L. (2002). ‘PAUP*. Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (*and Other Methods), version 4.’ (Sinauer Associates, Inc.: Sunderland, MA.)

Swofford D. L., Selander R. B., and Black W. C. (1997). ‘BIOSYS-2: A Computer Program for the Analysis of Allelic Variation in Genetics.’ (Department of Genetics and Development, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Urbana, IL.)

Tamura, K. , and Nei, M. (1993). Estimation of the number of nucleotide substitutions in the control region of mitochondrial DNA in humans and chimpanzees. Molecular Biology and Evolution 10, 512–526.
PubMed |

Templeton, A. R. , Boerwinkle, E. , and Sing, C. F. (1987). A cladistic analysis of phenotypic associations with haplotypes inferred form restriction endonuclease mapping. I. Basic theory and an analysis of alcohol dehydrogenase activity in Drosophila. Genetics 117, 343–351.
PubMed |

Templeton, A. R. , Routman, E. , and Phillips, C. A. (1995). Separating population structure from population history: a cladistic analysis of the geographical distribution of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in the tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum. Genetics 140, 767–782.
PubMed |

Unmack, P. J. (2001). Biogeography of Australian freshwater fishes. Journal of Biogeography 28, 1053–1089.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Walsh, P. S. , Metzger, D. A. , and Higuchi, R. (1991). Chelex 100 as a medium for simple extraction of DNA for PCR-based typing from forensic material. BioTechniques 10, 506–513.
PubMed |

Weir, B. S. , and Cockerham, C. C. (1984). Estimating F-statistics for the analysis of population structure. Evolution 38, 1358–1370.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Whiting, A. S. , Lawler, S. H. , Horwitz, P. , and Crandall, K. A. (2000). Biogeographic regionalization of Australia: assigning conservation priorities based on endemic freshwater crayfish phylogenetics. Animal Conservation 3, 155–163.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Woolschot, L. , Hughes, J. M. , and Bunn, S. E. (1999). Dispersal among populations of Caridina sp. (Decapoda: Atyidae) in coastal lowland streams, south-eastern Queensland, Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 50, 681–688.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |