Reanalysis and Revision of the Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Artemia urmiana Günther, 1899 (Crustacea: Anostraca)

In the previously published mitochondrial genome sequence of Artemia urmiana (NC_021382 [JQ975176]), the taxonomic status of the examined Artemia had not been determined, due to parthenogenetic populations coexisting with A. urmiana in Urmia Lake. Additionally, NC_021382 [JQ975176] has been obtained with pooled cysts of Artemia (0.25 g cysts consists of 20,000–25,000 cysts), not a single specimen. With regard to coexisting populations in Urmia Lake, and intra- and inter-specific variations in the pooled samples, NC_021382 [JQ975176] cannot be recommended as a valid sequence and any attempt to attribute it to A. urmiana or a parthenogenetic population is unreasonable. With the aid of next-generation sequencing methods, we characterized and assembled a complete mitochondrial genome of A. urmiana with defined taxonomic status. Our results reveal that in the previously published mitogenome (NC_021382 [JQ975176]), tRNA-Phe has been erroneously attributed to the heavy strand but it is encoded in the light strand. There was a major problem in the position of the ND5. It was extended over the tRNA-Phe, which is biologically incorrect. We have also identified a partial nucleotide sequence of 311 bp that was probably erroneously duplicated in the assembly of the control region of NC_021382 [JQ975176], which enlarges the control region length by 16%. This partial sequence could not be recognized in our assembled mitogenome as well as in 48 further examined specimens of A. urmiana. Although, only COX1 and 16S genes have been widely used for phylogenetic studies in Artemia, our findings reveal substantial differences in the nucleotide composition of some other genes (including ATP8, ATP6, ND3, ND6, ND1 and COX3) among Artemia species. It is suggested that these markers should be included in future phylogenetic studies.

The impact of one-decade ecological disturbance on genetic changes: a study on the brine shrimp Artemia urmiana from Urmia Lake, Iran

Urmia Lake, the largest natural habitat of the brine shrimp Artemia urmiana, has progressively desiccated over the last two decades, resulting in a loss of 80% of its surface area and producing thousands of hectares of arid salty land. This ecological crisis has seriously affected the lake’s native biodiversity. Artemia urmiana has lost more than 90% of its population during the decade from 1994 (rainy period) to 2004 (drought period) due to salinity increasing to saturation levels (∼300 g/l). We studied the influence of this ecological crisis on the genetic diversity of A. urmiana in Urmia Lake, based on one cyst collections in 1994 and 2004. AMOVA analysis on ISSR data demonstrated a 21% genetic variation and there was a 5.5% reduction of polymorphic loci between samples. PCoA showed that 77.42% and 68.75% of specimens clustered separately in 1994 and 2004, respectively. Our analyses of four marker genes revealed different genetic diversity patterns with a decrease of diversity at ITS1 and an increase for Na+/K+ ATPase. There was no notable difference in genetic variation detected for COI and 16S genes between the two periods. However, they represented distinctly different haplotypes. ITS1 and COI followed a population expansion model, whereas Na+/K+ ATPase and 16S were under demographic equilibrium without selective pressure in the 1994 samples. Neutrality tests confirmed the excess of rare historical and recent mutations present in COI and ITS1 in both samples. It is evident that a short-term ecological disturbance has impacted the genetic diversity and structure of A. urmiana.

Effect of feeding Artemia Urmiana cysts on performance and survival of Caspian brown trout (Salmo trutta caspius) fish at the larva stage

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding different levels of Artemia Urmiana cysts on performance and survival of Caspian brown trout fish. The treatments included different levels (25, 50, 75 and 100 %) of Artemia Urmiana cysts to Caspian brown trout fish with an average weight of 120 ± 25 g in active phase of larva stage until the weight of one gram. Feed intake (FI), weight gain (WG), body weight (BW), feed conversion ratio (FCR), specific growth rate (SGR) of the treatments were determine and the survival percentage index was calculated based on the number of remaining larvae in the sites on the total number of larvae. The result of study showed that the higher feed intake was for 25 and the lower feed intake was for 50% of Artemia urmiana cysts treatments. Also the best specific growth rate and feed conversation ratio was related to the 25 % of Artemia Urmiana cysts groups (P≤0.05). Additionally the best survival index was for fish that fed by 75% and the worst survival index was for fish that fed by 100% of Artemia urmiana cysts. In conclusion we could demonstrated that feeding Artemia Urmiana cysts may have some beneficial effects on the performance and survival of Caspian brown trout (Salmo trutta caspius) fish at the larva stage.

Second records of the endangered species Artemia urmiana (Anostraca) in the Crimea habitat

Artemia urmiana Günther, 1899 – species that has long been considered endemic to Lake Urmia in Iran. In 2009, A. urmiana was found in a hypersaline lake Koyashskoye on the Kerch Peninsula. In 2015, the species was listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Crimea. In May-June 2016 noted the massive presence of its cysts, nauplii, adult females and males in the Lake Sasyk-Sivash, the biggest hypersaline lake in Crimea.