Population genetic structure of the endangered crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes in France based on microsatellite variation: biogeographical inferences and conservation implications

  1. One important goal in conservation biology is to characterise evolutionary lineages within endangered species before management decisions are taken. Here, we assess population differentiation in the freshwater crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes, an endangered species endemic to western Europe and provide valuable information for the conservation of French populations. 2. Analysis of five microsatellite loci in 44 populations revealed very different within population levels of genetic diversity (0.000 < H-0 < 0.564). Two groups, corresponding to northern and southern French populations, showed a high degree of genetic differentiation in both allele frequencies and allele sizes. Comparison of these results with previous studies of A. pallipes strongly suggests that the divergence between northern and southern populations could have occurred during the last glaciation period of the Pleistocene from one Atlantic and one Mediterranean refuge. 3. Evidence for genetic admixture between these two lineages was revealed by correspondence analyses in southern populations, probably as the result of artificial translocations. 4. French populations appeared significantly differentiated among the different river drainages and were highly structured within rivers. The impact of population size, population bottlenecks and founder events on the population genetic differentiation are discussed. 5. Based on these results, we propose the designation of two evolutionarily significant units for A. pallipes in France. Our data also support the maintenance of separate demographic management strategies for crayfish inhabiting different river systems. However, genetic analyses will have to be combined with demographic and ecological data for sustainable conservation programmes.

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Additional Info

Field Value
Source ISSN: 0046-5070
Author Gouin, N., Grandjean, F., Souty-Grosset, C.
Maintainer CCSD
Last Updated May 10, 2026, 10:50 (UTC)
Created May 10, 2026, 10:50 (UTC)
Identifier hal-00084210
Language en
Rights https://about.hal.science/hal-authorisation-v1/
contributor Génétique et biologie des populations de crustacés (GBPC) ; Université de Poitiers = University of Poitiers (UP)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
creator Gouin, N.
date 2006-05-10T00:00:00
harvest_object_id 561217f5-3da1-433a-8ce0-20ebf1d46a1c
harvest_source_id 3374d638-d20b-4672-ba96-a23232d55657
harvest_source_title test moissonnage SELUNE
metadata_modified 2026-03-06T00:00:00
relation info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2006.01570.x
set_spec type:ART