Doctoral Thesis
Investigations into the taxonomy, phylogeography and history of native (Parartemia) and exotic (Artemia) brine shrimps in Australia
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Murdoch University
2025
Abstract
Australia has numerous salt lakes. These lakes have a rich, endemic invertebrate fauna, which face a range of threats. Parartemia is one of the most speciose and salt-tolerant taxa found in these lakes. Unlike Artemia, a well-studied brine shrimp with an almost global range, Parartemia is less well known and only found in Australia. This PhD study investigated the taxonomy, evolutionary history and phylogeography of Parartemia. I conducted molecular-based phylogenetic and species delimitation analyses and compared the results to morphological information about species and species groups. The molecular and morphological data were mainly congruent, although some morphospecies showed large amounts of genetic divergence. I found two new morphospecies, three cryptic species and one synonymy. A time-calibrated 16S phylogeny indicated that speciation and deeper divergence in Parartemia occurred between about 40 and 10 million years ago, which broadly coincides with a general increase in the aridity of the Australian climate but predates estimates of the timing of such in some other salt lake taxa. I conducted phylogeographic analyses of cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COI) sequence variation in the widespread species P. cylindrifera and P. longicaudata. Each of these species comprised a series of divergent lineages, mainly with restricted spatial distributions. Populations of these species were typically isolated in single salt lakes. I also investigated the distributions, identity and phylogeography of Artemia in natural salt lakes in Australia. My genetic and distributional data show that lineages of diploid parthenogenetic Artemia and A. franciscana are currently spreading in natural lakes in Western Australia. Further research is needed to determine whether Artemia will negatively impact on Parartemia and other endemic species. Overall, my results have provided information that will be useful for planning for the management and future studies of native and exotic brine shrimps in Australia.
Details
- Title
- Investigations into the taxonomy, phylogeography and history of native (Parartemia) and exotic (Artemia) brine shrimps in Australia
- Authors/Creators
- Aminul Islam
- Contributors
- Jennifer Chaplin (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, School of Environmental and Conservation SciencesPeter Spencer (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and SustainabilityAdrian Pinder (Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Murdoch University; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Identifiers
- 991005731485907891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences
- Resource Type
- Doctoral Thesis
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