Unstable environment of coastal lagoons drives genetic variation in the amphipod Quadrivisio lutzi

The freshwater/brackish amphipod Quadrivisio lutzi inhabits coastal lagoons, highly unstable environments subject to sudden inflow of marine water. Our aim was to evaluate how the genetic composition varies in these populations. Brazilian populations were compared by 16S rRNA and COI gene sequences. The genetic structure of four Rio de Janeiro amphipod populations was evaluated during the period of 2011-2019 by COI. Rio de Janeiro population was compared with Alagoas and São Paulo populations, which was genetically distinct, at species level (16S, d > 7%; COI, d >14%). The genetic structure in Rio de Janeiro showed the Imboassica subpopulation as the most divergent (Imboassica & Carapebus, F ( ST ) = 0.238), followed by Lagamar population (Lagamar & Carapebus, F ( ST ) = 0.049). The geographic distance and urbanization around these lagoons explain the degree of genetic isolation of these amphipod subpopulations. Paulista and Carapebus populations were not structured. Temporal variation in haplotype number and frequency were evident in both populations that were evaluated (Carapebus and Imboassica). Changes in salinity and water volume variation at these lagoons may be responsible for the observed changes in genetic composition, which may be the results of genetic drift effects over temporally fluctuating size subpopulations, without loss of genetic diversity.