title: Phylogenetic analysis of brine shrimp (Artemia) in China using DNA barcoding.
abstract: DNA barcoding is a powerful approach for characterizing species of organisms, especially those with almost identical morphological features, thereby helping to to establish phylogenetic relationships and reveal evolutionary histories. In this study, we chose a 648-bp segment of the mitochondrial gene, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI), as a standard barcode region to establish phylogenetic relationships among brine shrimp (Artemia) species from major habitats around the world and further focused on the biodiversity of Artemia species in China, especially in the Tibetan Plateau. Samples from five major salt lakes of the Tibetan Plateau located at altitudes over 4,000 m showed clear differences from other Artemia populations in China. We also observed two consistent amino acid changes, 153A/V and 183L/F, in the COI gene between the high and low altitude species in China. Moreover, indels in the COI sequence were identified in cyst and adult samples unique to the Co Qen population from the Tibetan Plateau, demonstrating the need for additional investigations of the mitochondrial genome among Tibetan Artemia populations.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Weiwei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qibin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bossier
authors.forename: Gilbert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van Stappen
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sorgeloos
authors.forename: Naihong
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: Qishi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Songnian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu