Spatial scaling in the phylogeography of an alpine caddisfly,Allogamus uncatus, within the central European Alps

Abstract

AbstractBoth historical and contemporary processes can influence population genetic structure and phylogeographic patterns at different spatial scales. We studied the genetic structure of a common alpine caddisfly, Allogamus uncatus, across the central European Alps using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) sequence data to evaluate broad- and fine-scale spatial patterns in population genetic structure and examined how these patterns relate to historical and contemporary landscape processes. Both historical and contemporary influences on population genetic structure could be distinguished. At the broad-scale, our results showed the existence of 6 geographically structured haplogroups across the central Alps that were derived from 4 deeply diverged (up to 5.5%) older lineages. This broad-scale pattern in genetic structure of A. uncatus probably was the result of recolonization from multiple glacial refugia peripheral to the Alps. These data support the idea that phylogeographic patterns invo...