Origin and route of establishment of the invasive Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas in Scandinavia

Type Article
Date 2017-07
Language English
Author(s) Faust Ellika1, Andre Carl1, Meurling Sara2, Kochmann Judith3, Christiansen Henrik1, 4, Jensen Lasse Fast5, Charrier Gregory6, Laugen Ane T.7, 8, Strand Asa1
Affiliation(s) 1 : Univ Gothenburg, Dept Marine Sci Tjarno, S-45296 Stromstad, Sweden.
2 : Uppsala Univ, Dept Ecol & Genet, S-75236 Uppsala, Sweden.
3 : Senckenberg Biodiversitat & Klima Forschungszentr, Senckenberg Gesell Nat Forsch, D-60325 Frankfurt, Germany.
4 : Katholieke Univ Leuven, Lab Biodivers & Evolutionary Genom, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
5 : Fisheries & Maritime Museum, DK-6710 Esbjerg V, Denmark.
6 : Univ Bretagne Occidentale, Lab Sci Environm Marin LEMAR, UMR 6539, UBO,CNRS,IRD,Ifremer,IUEM, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
7 : Novia Univ Appl Sci, Ekenas 10600, Finland.
8 : Swedish Univ Agr Sci, Dept Ecol, S-75007 Uppsala, Sweden.
Source Marine Ecology Progress Series (0171-8630) (Inter-research), 2017-07 , Vol. 575 , P. 95-105
DOI 10.3354/meps12219
WOS© Times Cited 7
Keyword(s) Population genetics, Microsatellites, Range expansion, Non-native species, Aquaculture, Connectivity, Scandinavia, Skagerrak
Abstract

Identifying the routes and rates of introductions is fundamental for the understanding of marine invasions. Recurring introductions over the last 50 yr have led to the establishment of feral Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas populations throughout Europe. In the northern countries, Sweden and Norway, the species first occurred in large numbers in 2006. Here, we investigated the relative importance of introduction via re-laying of cultured oysters imported for consumption from France, Ireland or the Netherlands, and dispersal of oyster larvae by ocean currents from wild oyster populations in Denmark. Using microsatellite DNA markers, we estimated genetic differentiation among Pacific oysters collected at 4 Swedish locations, 3 Norwegian locations and 9 potential source locations in Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and France. All Swedish samples and 1 Norwegian sample(Tromlingene) were genetically similar to each other and the Danish samples and showed significant genetic differentiation from all other populations. Consequently, it appears that the Pacific oyster populations in Sweden, Denmark and Tromlingene are closely connected and/or share a recent origin. The 2 remaining Norwegian samples(Hui and Espevik) differed from each other and all other populations, but showed similarities to wild oyster samples from Scandinavia and Ireland, respectively. Overall, the results underline a complex origin of Norwegian oysters, with gene flow from Swedish/Danish populations, as well as other unidentified sources. The apparent connectivity among most of the Scandinavian populations has implications for regional management of this invasive species, and highlights possible scenarios for other marine invasive species with a similar life history.

Full Text
File Pages Size Access
Publisher's official version 11 2 MB Open access
Supplementary material 7 5 MB Open access
Top of the page

How to cite 

Faust Ellika, Andre Carl, Meurling Sara, Kochmann Judith, Christiansen Henrik, Jensen Lasse Fast, Charrier Gregory, Laugen Ane T., Strand Asa (2017). Origin and route of establishment of the invasive Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas in Scandinavia. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 575, 95-105. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12219 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00395/50627/