Abstract
A recent study in BMC Evolutionary Biology has reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of a large Mediterranean cave-dwelling beetle clade, revealing an ancient origin and strong geographic structuring. It seems likely that diversification of this clade in the Oligocene was seeded by an ancestor already adapted to subterranean life.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/29
Highlights
A recent study in BMC Evolutionary Biology has reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of a large Mediterranean cave-dwelling beetle clade, revealing an ancient origin and strong geographic structuring
Extrinsic environmental factors causing extinction of surface ancestors pre-adapted to the subterranean are suggested to be a mechanism forcing populations underground. is model is usually invoked in limestone cave systems of continental temperate regions
Among tropical faunas, in which surface taxa are often found co-occurring with subterranean sister taxa, active colonization of the subterranean habitat is suggested as a more plausible explanation [2]
Summary
A recent study in BMC Evolutionary Biology has reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of a large Mediterranean cave-dwelling beetle clade, revealing an ancient origin and strong geographic structuring. In a study published in BMC Evolutionary Biology, Ribera et al [5] have investigated the origin and evolution of a diverse lineage of subterranean beetles of the tribe Leptodirini (family Leiodidae) (Figure 1a), focusing on the distribution of this group in the western Mediterranean.
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