Phylogeography of the common shrimp, Crangon crangon (L.) across its distribution range

The common or brown shrimp Crangon crangon (L.) is a highly abundant and important taxon, both ecologically and commercially, yet knowledge on its population structure and historical biogeography is limited. We studied population genetic structure across the distribution range of this species by sequencing a 388 bp fragment of the cytochrome-c-oxidase I gene for 140 individuals from 25 locations. Strong population structuring and high levels of genetic diversity were observed. Four main phylogroups were uncovered: northeastern Atlantic, western Mediterranean, Adriatic Sea and Black Sea. Gene flow of these shrimp across known oceanographical barriers (e.g., the Strait of Gibraltar and/or Oran-Almeria front, Sicilian Straits, and Turkish Straits) is severely restricted. The oldest and most variable populations currently inhabit the western Mediterranean. The observed absence of structure across the entire northeastern Atlantic shelf is proposed not to be due to gene flow, but to relatively recent colonization following the glacial cycles of the late Pleistocene. Black Sea shrimp are currently disconnected from Mediterranean populations, and colonization is inferred, on the basis of coalescent analysis, to have happened relatively recently, but possibly earlier than 7000 years ago. We postulate the hypothesis that C. crangon survived the last brackish-water (<7‰) period inside the Black Sea and/or one of the adjacent inland seas. We conclude that (1) common shrimp populations from different basins are strongly differentiated, (2) gene flow across basins is probably very limited, and (3) the biogeographic history of the taxon is largely in accordance with the geographic history of its distribution range. This study provides further evidence that high population connectivity of marine species (e.g., by policy makers) should not be assumed.