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The common ecotoxicology laboratory strain of Hyalella azteca is genetically distinct from most wild strains sampled in Eastern North America
Author(s) -
Major Kaley,
Soucek David J.,
Giordano Rosanna,
Wetzel Mark J.,
SotoAdames Felipe
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.2355
Subject(s) - hyalella azteca , biology , ecotoxicology , clade , phylogenetic tree , ecology , zoology , genetics , amphipoda , crustacean , gene
The amphipod Hyalella azteca is commonly used as a model for determining safe concentrations of contaminants in freshwaters. The authors sequenced the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I ( COI ) gene for representatives of 38 populations of this species complex from US and Canadian toxicology research laboratories and eastern North American field sites to determine their genetic relationships. With 1 exception, all US and Canadian laboratory cultures sampled were identified as conspecific. In 22 wild populations spanning 5 US states and 1 Canadian province, the commonly occurring laboratory species was found only in northern Florida, USA. Therefore, the diversity of the H. azteca species complex detected in the wild is not accurately represented in North American laboratories, questioning the reliability of H. azteca cultures currently in use to accurately predict the responses of wild populations in ecotoxicological assays. The authors also examined the utility of different COI nucleotide fragments presently in use to determine phylogenetic relationships in this group and concluded that saturation in DNA sequences leads to inconsistent relationships between clades. Amino acid sequences for COI were not saturated and may allow a more accurate phylogeny estimate. Hyalella azteca is crucial for developing water‐quality regulations; therefore, laboratories should know and standardize the strain(s) they use to confidently compare toxicity tests across laboratories and determine whether they are an appropriate surrogate for their regions. Environ Toxicol Chem 2013;32:2637–2647. © 2013 SETAC