Transcriptomics of freshwater adaptation Macrobrachium Sp.

For crustaceans, colonization of freshwater habitats has significantly impacted diversity, but the molecular basis of this process is poorly understood. We have compared transcriptomes of four Macrobrachium species (M. australiense, M. tolmerum, M. novaehollandiae and M. koombooloomba) to better understand the molecular basis of freshwater adaptation. Each of these species naturally inhabit water bodies with variable salinity gradients; here we exposed them to experimental salinity conditions (0‰ and 15‰), to compare expression patterns of candidate genes, previously shown to influence phenotypic traits associated with freshwater adaptation (e.g. genes associated with osmoregulation).