First genetic characterization of non‐native Daphnia lumholtzi Sars, 1885 in Brazil confirms North American origin

Abstract

Anthropogenic translocations are the main vectors of intercontinental invasions. Molecular tools have been important in the study of biological invasions, helping to identify the source of non‐native species mainly when these species are rapidly colonizing the new territories. The aims of this study were: (i) to characterize genetic sequences of the Daphnia lumholtzi population in Brazil (Upper Paraná River floodplain) for the first time; (ii) to compare these sequences with available sequences at GenBank; and (iii) to contribute new sequences of gene 12S from D. lumholtzi. Specimens were collected from a lake of the Paraná River for gene comparison (COI and 12S sequences). Genetic sequences from populations outside Brazil were obtained from GenBank. D. lumholtzi specimens sequenced in this study are genetically close to populations from the United States and Mexico and considerably distant from Australian populations. Our data confirm that populations present in the Paraná River floodplain probably came from the United States, where they arrived through introduction of African fish. The genetic similarity between our specimens and populations from Mexico and the morphological discrepancy between them reinforces the importance of molecular analysis for accurate identification of a species and its origin.

The vicinity of reservoirs and type of environment contribute to the occurrence of an exotic cladoceran, Daphnia lumholtzi (Sars, 1885), in a Neotropical drainage basin

“…Invasive species can cause loss of biodiversity through competition, predation, and changes in energy transfer and nutrient cycling in ecosystems, often leading to the extinction of native species (Stewart & Sprules, 2011; Yan & Pawson, 1997). Aiming to mitigate these impacts, research interest in invasion ecology has grown in recent decades, mainly in freshwater ecosystems (Mantovano et al, 2018; Nunes et al, 2018; Thomaz et al, 2015).…”

“…Since its initial identification in North America in 1990 (Havel & Hebert, 1993; Sorensen & Sterner, 1992), this species has dispersed through much of the United States (Havel & Shurin, 2004), and has been reported in Mexico (Silva‐Briano et al, 2010), Brazil (Zanata et al, 2003), and recently in Argentina (Kotov & Taylor, 2014). Molecular evidence indicates that D. lumholtzi populations in the Paraná River floodplain, recorded in the main channel of the Paraná River (Nunes et al, 2018), in the downstream floodplain (Simões et al, 2009) and in reservoirs along the basin (Nunes et al, 2018; Zanata et al, 2003), probably originate from North America and arrived through the deliberate stocking of lakes with the African Nile perch ( Lates niloticus ; Nunes et al, 2018).…”

Temperature elevation reduces the sensitivity of invasive cladoceran Daphnia lumholtzi to filamentous cyanobacterium Raphidiopsis raciborskii

“…At the beginning of the 1990s, it invaded some North American reservoirs and lakes (Havel & Hebert, ; Sorensen & Sterner, ) and spread widely in reservoirs, swamps, and rivers of the southern regions of North America (Benson et al, ). Then, it expanded its range to South America (Nunes et al, ; Sousa, Palaoro, Elmoor‐Loureiro, & Kotov, ). The invasive success of D. lumholtzi mainly results from its excellent performance at elevated temperatures (thermal optimum between 20 and 30°C, Lennon, Smith, & Williams, ).…”