Molecular genetic structure and evolution in native and colonized populations of the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis

Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis), a native species in China, has populated Continental Europe and North America since 1912. In this paper, the nucleotide variation in the fragments of mitochondrial COII (693 bp), Cytb (766 bp), and nucleotide ITS (706 bp) was analyzed in native (Yantgze, Yellow, and Liaohe Rivers in China) and colonized (Elbe, Rhine, and Thames Rivers in Europe, and San Francisco Bay in North America) populations of the Chinese mitten crab. The major findings are as follows. First, the genetic variability in the native populations is higher than that in the colonized European and North American populations, with the exception of the Elbe River population, which possesses a similar level of variability with the native populations. Second, a remarkable loss of singletons has been associated with the colonization of Chinese mitten crabs. Third, the AMOVA and F _ST results demonstrate that there are no significant genetic differentiations among the populations from the three continents, but there is a significant differentiation between pairwise populations within and among continents. Fourth, it is found that expansion-drift and gene flow pattern are involved in the European populations. The neutrality test and R ₂ statistics suggest that a moderate founder population exists in the colonized populations, and only the Yangtze River population has undergone a recent population expansion. Finally, the results demonstrate that the European populations originate from multiple rivers in China on multiple occasions. The San Francisco population originates from both the native Chinese populations and the colonized European populations, most likely the Thames population.