Genetic Estimates of Variability and Relatedness for Conservation of an Ozark Cave Crayfish Species Complex

Allozyme-based genetic distances were used to determine the distinctness of six species of cave crayfish from the Ozark Plateau in Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. One of the cave species is in the subgenus Erebicambarus and the others are in Jugicambarus . Four of the six species are very rare and are found in only one to three known sites each. In addition, most populations of all the species are presumed to be small; rarely are more than a few individuals observed. A chela (claw) was collected from sixty individuals representing the six species, including all known populations of the four rare species. Variability and distance estimates were based on 20 presumptive gene loci. Population samples with identical genotypes were pooled. Thirteen loci were polymorphic, but average heterozygosity was low (H= 1%) compared to epigean crayfish species. Pairwise genetic distances within Jugicambarus ranged from D = 0.051 to 0.522, and mean distance between subgenera was D = 0.676. The underground water systems in Ozark caves are defined by discreet recharge zones. Groundwater pollution threatens the stability of cave ecosystems, including the survival of cave crayfish. If restoration of threatened or extirpated populations becomes necessary, a database of genetic variability and relatedness estimates for known populations of all the species will aid decisions about numbers and sources of individuals for propagation or transfer.