Population-specific responses to pollution exposure suggest local adaptation of invasive red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii along the Mediterranean French coastline
Abstract
Anthropogenic stressors can have an impact in a broad range of physiological processes and can be a major selective force leading to rapid evolution and local population adaptation. In this study, three populations of the invasive crayfish Procambarus clarkii were investigated. They are geographically separated for at least 20 years, and live in different abiotic environments: a freshwater inland lake (Salagou lake) with no major anthropogenic influence and two other coastal wetlands regularly polluted by pesticides along the Mediterranean coast (Camargue region and Bages-Sigean lagoon). Collected adults were genetically characterized using the mitochondrial COI gene and haplotype frequencies were analyzed for genetic variability within and between populations. Results revealed a higher genetic diversity for these invasive populations than any previous report in France, with more than seven different haplotypes in a single population. The contrasting genetic diversity between the Camargue and the other two populations suggest different times and sources of introduction. To identify differences in key physiological responses between these populations, individuals from each population were maintained in controlled conditions. Data on oxygen consumption rates indicate that the Salagou and Bages-Sigean populations possess a high inter-individual variability compared to the Camargue population. The low individual variability of oxygen consumption and low genetic diversity suggest a specific local adaptation for the Camargue population. Population-specific responses were identified when individuals were exposed to a pesticide cocktail containing azoxystrobin and oxadiazon at sublethal concentrations. The Salagou population was the only one with altered hydro-osmotic balance due to pollutant exposure and a change in protease activity in the hepatopancreas. These results revealed different phenotypic responses suggesting local adaptations at the population level.
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BibTeX
@article{raffalli2026populationspecific,
title = {{Population-specific responses to pollution exposure suggest local adaptation of invasive red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii along the Mediterranean French coastline}},
author = {Marie-Catherine Raffalli and Ana María Bojórquez-Sánchez and Jehan-Hervé Lignot and Diana Martínez-Alarcón},
journal = {Environmental Science and Pollution Research},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1007/s11356-024-33775-z},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05852335v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Population-specific responses to pollution exposure suggest local adaptation of invasive red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii along the Mediterranean French coastline
AU - Marie-Catherine Raffalli
AU - Ana María Bojórquez-Sánchez
AU - Jehan-Hervé Lignot
AU - Diana Martínez-Alarcón
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - Environmental Science and Pollution Research
DO - 10.1007/s11356-024-33775-z
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05852335v1
AB - Anthropogenic stressors can have an impact in a broad range of physiological processes and can be a major selective force leading to rapid evolution and local population adaptation. In this study, three populations of the invasive crayfish Procambarus clarkii were investigated. They are geographically separated for at least 20 years, and live in different abiotic environments: a freshwater inland lake (Salagou lake) with no major anthropogenic influence and two other coastal wetlands regularly polluted by pesticides along the Mediterranean coast (Camargue region and Bages-Sigean lagoon). Collected adults were genetically characterized using the mitochondrial COI gene and haplotype frequencies were analyzed for genetic variability within and between populations. Results revealed a higher genetic diversity for these invasive populations than any previous report in France, with more than seven different haplotypes in a single population. The contrasting genetic diversity between the Camargue and the other two populations suggest different times and sources of introduction. To identify differences in key physiological responses between these populations, individuals from each population were maintained in controlled conditions. Data on oxygen consumption rates indicate that the Salagou and Bages-Sigean populations possess a high inter-individual variability compared to the Camargue population. The low individual variability of oxygen consumption and low genetic diversity suggest a specific local adaptation for the Camargue population. Population-specific responses were identified when individuals were exposed to a pesticide cocktail containing azoxystrobin and oxadiazon at sublethal concentrations. The Salagou population was the only one with altered hydro-osmotic balance due to pollutant exposure and a change in protease activity in the hepatopancreas. These results revealed different phenotypic responses suggesting local adaptations at the population level.
SN - 0944-1344
SN - 1614-7499
ER -