Repurposing of archived CO1 sequence data reveals unusually high genetic structure between North American and European zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha)

The invasion of the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha in the Great Lakes of North America is regarded as one of the most catastrophic ecological events in recent history. Previous studies showed a close kinship between European zebra mussels and their invasive cohorts in the Great Lakes. In this study, we repurposed and reanalyzed archived CO1 sequence data from Lake Superior and multiple sites in Europe that were collected between 1991 and 2011 to illustrate an interesting pattern of genetic isolation that was overlooked in previous studies. The results showed extreme genetic isolation of Lake Superior zebra mussels as evident by high ϕ_ST values and strong geographic patterning of Lake Superior haplotypes.