Identical genomes of the marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis), a highly invasive and relatively recent species.

The genome of the marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis), a relatively recent and highly invasive species, has recently been sequenced by Gutekunst et al. (2018) and revealed that there is a lack of genetic diversity within the species. It was also found that the individuals from the population in Madagascar were genetically very similar to the individuals from the German pet shop where the species was first found during the 1990s, building on the previous studies (see Martin et al. 2016) demonstrating that the species had three of each chromosome compared to the expected two (Callaway, 2018; Gutekunst et al. 2018). The ability of the marbled crayfish to reproduce in a parthenogenetic (essentially asexual) way may have attributed to the species success in new habitats, as it is a rapidly spreading invasive species, particularly in Madagascar where anthropogenic factors also play a role (Callaway, 2018; Gutekunst et al. 2018). The genetically identical marbled crayfish have been found in a range of habitats, suggesting that their ability to adapt is not due to genetic variation but may perhaps give an insight into the effects of the epigenome on adaptation to new habitats (Gutekunst et al. 2018).

References

Callaway, E., 2018. Geneticists unravel secrets of super-invasive crayfish. Nature. 554: 157-158.

Gutekunst, J., Andriantsoa R., Falckenhayn, C., Hanna, K., Stein, W., Rasamy, J., and Lyko, F., 2018. Clonal genome evolution and rapid invasive spread of the marbled crayfish. Nature. Ecol. Evol. doi:10.1038/s41559-018-0467-9

Martin, P., Thonagel, S., and Scholtz, G., 2016. The parthenogenetic Marmorkrebs (Malacostraca: Decapoda: Cambaridae) is a triploid organism. J. Zool. Syst. Evol. Res. 54: 13-21.

Image: Callaway, E., 2018. Geneticists unravel secrets of super-invasive crayfish. Nature. 554: 157-158. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-01624-y#ref-CR1 Credit: Ranja Andriantsoa. Accessed 02/13/18.

Click here for the Gutekunst et al. (2018) article.

Click here for the Callaway (2018) article.

Victoria Lockwood