Genetic diversity of the pelagic harpacticoid copepod Macrosetella gracilis on colonies of the cyanobacterium Trichodesmium spp

The harpacticoid copepod Macrosetella gracilis uses colonies of the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Trichodesmium spp. as a floating substrate and nursery. This association enables the copepod to lead a pelagic existence. Molecular and morphological data both indicate that M. gracilis is maintained as a single, circumglobal species across the tropical and subtropical Atlantic and Pacific. Mitochondrial DNA sequence data from cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) showed moderate to high levels of diversity and limited phylogeographic structure in M. gracilis. Thirty-six different haplotypes were found among the 149 M. gracilis individuals sequenced; 4 haplotypes were shared between the Atlantic and Pacific. Samples from Japan showed the highest haplotypic and nucleotide diversity levels, suggesting that the Indo-West Pacific may be the center of diversity for M. gracilis. Wide distribution and large population size in M. gracilis may limit divergence through increased gene flow or slowing of the loss of ancestral diversity through lineage sorting. The pelagic existence of M. gracilis has led to less phylogenetic structuring than found in other species of harpacticoid copepods, illustrating the evolutionary significance of specialization on a floating substrate in this copepod.