Phylogeography of Schizopygopsis malacanthus Herzenstein (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae) in relation to the tectonic events and Quaternary climatic oscillations in the Shaluli Mountains Region

Abstract

The tectonic events and Quaternary climatic oscillations in the Shaluli Mountains (the margin of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau) had an extensive effect on the genetic structure and distribution patterns of this region’s terrestrial fauna and flora. It is not yet clear whether similar mechanisms influence this region’s fish fauna. Schizopygopsis malacanthus is limited to high-elevation rivers and lakes, and exhibits distinct adaptations to the mountains of, and near to, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Therefore, this species is a good candidate for investigating patterns of genetic variation resulting from palaeoenvironmental fluctuations in the Shaluli Mountains (China). Here, we used microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA control region sequences to analyze six populations of S. malacanthus collected from the Jinsha and Yalong River drainages. Genealogical analyses identified four maternal lineages and perhaps even four putative species, of which the Ouqu River lineage played a pivotal role during the course of the species’ evolution. Two lineages from the Yalong River drainage did not cluster together, whereas those from different drainages grouped together, suggesting tectonic event impacts that possibly altered regional river drainages have been highly influential in population connectivity and gene flow. Population genetic analysis indicated that the geographic barriers and this species preference for higher elevations both played key roles in the divergence of S. malacanthus populations. Demographic tests suggested large-scale spatial synchrony in population fluctuations of S. malacanthus, accompanying dramatic Pleistocene climatic oscillations. It appears that palaeoenvironmental changes in the Shaluli Mountains influenced the distribution and evolution of studied S. malacanthus populations, which provide important information about the factors that influenced the phylogeographic history of this region’s fish fauna. Additionally, our study also has implications for ongoing conservation of this vulnerable fish.