Artemia biodiversity in Asia with the focus on the phylogeography of the introduced American species Artemia franciscana Kellogg, 1906

- We examined Asian Artemia diversity using mtDNA-COI and nDNA-ITS1 sequences.
- Asian EHC (Eurasian Haplotype Complex) lineages are distributed in 39 inland geographical localities in Asia.
- American A. franciscana was discovered in 31 geographical localities in Asia.
- Asian A. franciscana showed higher haplotype diversity as compared to GSL source.
- ITS1 tree showed inconsistency with the COI tree, indicating incomplete lineage sorting.

Asia harbors a diverse group of sexual and asexual Artemia species, including the invasive Artemia franciscana, which is native to the Americas. The phylogeny of Asian Artemia species and the phylogeography of the introduced A. franciscana from 81 sampling localities in Eurasia, Africa and America were elucidated using mitochondrial (COI) and nuclear DNA (ITS1) sequences. According to a COI phylogeny, 6 distinctive genetic groups were recognized, with a complex phylogeographic structure among Asian Artemia. A haplotype complex which includes parthenogenetic lineages is distributed in 39 inland geographical localities in Asia, illustrating a wide distribution with a narrow genetic structure on this continent. The invasive A. franciscana was discovered in 31 geographical localities along the southern and eastern coastal regions of Asia. Three sexual species (A. sinica, A. tibetiana and A. urmiana) have a restricted distribution in certain geographical localities in Asia. In contrast to COI phylogeny reconstruction, ITS1 sequences showed inconsistency with the COI tree, indicating incomplete lineage sorting which provided the low genetic divergence in the Asian clade. Asian A. franciscana showed higher haplotype diversity as compared to the source population from the Great Salt Lake (USA), which could be attributed to multiple introductions by mass dispersal in Asia via human activities. The invasive success of A. franciscana in Asia could lead to a long-term biodiversity disturbance of the autochthonous Artemia species on the continent.

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