Genetic structure of brine shrimp Artemia in central-west China: cumulative effects of ancient geological events, climatic changes and recent human activities

Abstract Brine shrimp Artemia is the crucial live food in fish and crustacean larviculture. With the decrease of Artemia resources and the increase in aquaculture demand, it is necessary to conduct Artemia population genetics and to manage this important resource efficiently. In this study, the genetic diversity and distribution pattern of Artemia populations originated from ten inland salt lakes in central-west China were studied using a large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) obtained by high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that Tibetan populations had the highest level of genetic diversity, while Shanxi population had the lowest value. Genetic structure and principal component analysis further revealed these populations can be classified into four geographically and genetically distinct groups, and Tibetan populations were further divided into two subgroups and showed a trend of higher in the west and lower in the east at the level of genetic diversity. In addition, a certain amount of gene flow was observed among these 10 populations, and A. sinica had a unidirectional gene flow to all populations in the eastern Nagri region. Finally, species distribution models indicated that Bio1, Bio4, and Bio12 were the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of Artemia , and climate fluctuations had a strong influence on the distribution of Artemia . The findings revealed Tibetan populations will be further reduced in the future, and it is necessary to adopt a series of measures to strengthen Artemia protection and promote rational exploitation and utilization of this natural resources. This study further improves our understanding of the genetic structure of Artemia in central-west China, and provides certain guidance for the protection of Artemia germplasm resources.