Repurposing of archived CO1 sequence data reveals unusually high genetic structure between North American and European zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha)

The invasion of the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha in the Great Lakes of North America is regarded as one of the most catastrophic ecological events in recent history. Previous studies showed a close kinship between European zebra mussels and their invasive cohorts in the Great Lakes. In this study, we repurposed and reanalyzed archived CO1 sequence data from Lake Superior and multiple sites in Europe that were collected between 1991 and 2011 to illustrate an interesting pattern of genetic isolation that was overlooked in previous studies. The results showed extreme genetic isolation of Lake Superior zebra mussels as evident by high ϕST values and strong geographic patterning of Lake Superior haplotypes.

北美五大湖地区的斑马贻贝（zebra mussel，*Dreissena polymorpha*）入侵事件，被视为近代史上最具灾难性的生态事件之一。过往研究表明，欧洲斑马贻贝与北美五大湖的入侵种群具有极近的亲缘关系。本研究对1991年至2011年间采集的苏必利尔湖及欧洲多个地点的存档CO1（Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit 1）序列数据进行了重新利用与再分析，旨在揭示过往研究中被忽略的一类有趣的遗传隔离模式。研究结果显示，苏必利尔湖斑马贻贝存在极强的遗传隔离，这一点可通过较高的ϕST值以及苏必利尔湖种群单倍型的显著地理分布模式得到佐证。