Exploring the Genetic Structure and Phylogeographic Patterns of the Copepod Genus <i>Eurytemora</i> in Europe
Céleste Mouth,
Flavien Ferreira,
Natalia Sukhikh,
Elisa Bou,
Anaëlle Bernard,
Michèle Tackx,
Fréderic Azémar,
Patrick Meire,
Tom Maris,
Luc Legal
Affiliations
Céleste Mouth
Biodiversity and Environment Research Center (CRBE), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3—Paul Sabatier (UT3), 31062 Toulouse, France
Flavien Ferreira
Biodiversity and Environment Research Center (CRBE), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3—Paul Sabatier (UT3), 31062 Toulouse, France
Natalia Sukhikh
Zoological Institute RAS, Universitetskaya Embankment, 1, Saint-Petersburg 199034, Russia
Elisa Bou
Biodiversity and Environment Research Center (CRBE), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3—Paul Sabatier (UT3), 31062 Toulouse, France
Anaëlle Bernard
ab.zooplancton, Prestations Zooplancton D’eau Douce, 63160 Espirat, France
Michèle Tackx
Biodiversity and Environment Research Center (CRBE), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3—Paul Sabatier (UT3), 31062 Toulouse, France
Fréderic Azémar
Biodiversity and Environment Research Center (CRBE), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3—Paul Sabatier (UT3), 31062 Toulouse, France
Patrick Meire
ECOSPHERE, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1C, B2610 Antwerpen, Belgium
Tom Maris
ECOSPHERE, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1C, B2610 Antwerpen, Belgium
Luc Legal
Biodiversity and Environment Research Center (CRBE), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3—Paul Sabatier (UT3), 31062 Toulouse, France
The genus Eurytemora is a diverse group of copepods found in coastal, estuarine, brackish, and freshwater environments. The main research has focused on Eurytemora affinis (Poppe, 1880) and revealed it to be a species complex. Eurytemora velox (Liljeborg, 1853) has only recently been characterized in the Scheldt estuary but never within a global phylogenetic context. This study integrated nearly all European Eurytemora species sequences available, along with original ones from the Scheldt. A total of 351 sequences were analyzed using one mitochondrial gene (CO1) and one nuclear gene (nITS), with sequencing performed specifically on the CO1 gene. Phylogenetic reconstructions were performed using the Maximum Likelihood method, along with haplowebs and genetic diversity indices. A significant subdivision between six European species was observed. The monophyletic clade status of the E. affinis complex was confirmed alongside the existence of three geographically isolated lineages of the E. affinis species, the East Atlantic, the North Sea/English Channel, and the Baltic lineages, each exhibiting pronounced genetic differentiation. The population of E. velox from the Urals differs significantly from the European ones. These results provide both an overview of the genetic structure of the genus in geographic Europe as well as new insights on E. velox.