Tibetan Artemia (Crustacea: Anostraca) mitogenomic biodiversity and population demographics.

This article focuses on the mitogenomic biodiversity and population genetics of Artemia species in hypersaline lakes on the Tibetan Plateau, China. It identifies two regionally endemic sexual species, Artemia tibetiana and Artemia sorgeloosi, with the latter being more widespread and genetically diverse across eight lakes, while A. tibetiana is limited to two lakes but coexists with A. sorgeloosi in two others, marking the first natural overlap of sexual Artemia species. The study also reports the presence of the invasive American species Artemia franciscana coexisting with A. sorgeloosi in Yangnapen Lake, highlighting potential ecological risks. Genetic analyses reveal significant population differentiation and gene flow barriers in A. sorgeloosi consistent with an island biogeography pattern, whereas A. tibetiana populations show no significant differentiation. These findings underscore the Tibetan Plateau as a valuable natural laboratory for studying Artemia biodiversity, population structure, and the impacts of invasive species under unique high-altitude environmental conditions.