Exploring the Genetic Structure and Phylogeographic Patterns of the Copepod Genus Eurytemora in Europe

Abstract

The genus Eurytemora is a diverse group of copepods found in coastal, estuarine, brackish, and freshwater environments. The main research has focused on Eurytemora affinis (Poppe, 1880) and revealed it to be a species complex. Eurytemora velox (Liljeborg, 1853) has only recently been characterized in the Scheldt estuary but never within a global phylogenetic context. This study integrated nearly all European Eurytemora species sequences available, along with original ones from the Scheldt. A total of 351 sequences were analyzed using one mitochondrial gene (CO1) and one nuclear gene (nITS), with sequencing performed specifically on the CO1 gene. Phylogenetic reconstructions were performed using the Maximum Likelihood method, along with haplowebs and genetic diversity indices. A significant subdivision between six European species was observed. The monophyletic clade status of the E. affinis complex was confirmed alongside the existence of three geographically isolated lineages of the E. affinis species, the East Atlantic, the North Sea/English Channel, and the Baltic lineages, each exhibiting pronounced genetic differentiation. The population of E. velox from the Urals differs significantly from the European ones. These results provide both an overview of the genetic structure of the genus in geographic Europe as well as new insights on E. velox.