Separate Evolutionary Units Research Articles

Phylogeography of Hyalomma (Euhyalomma) lusitanicum (Acarina, Parasitiformes, Ixodidae) in Andalusia based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene

The genetic population structure relationships of Hyalomma (Euhyalomma) lusitanicum in Andalusia (the south of the Iberian Peninsula) were examined using mtDNA sequence data from 887 bp of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The sequence for the COI region was determined for 84 individuals collected in several localities of Andalusia, and 10 for other localities (i.e., five from Toledo, central Iberian Peninsula, four from Sicily (Italy) and one from Canary Island). Seventeen haplotypes were detected, including 27 polymorphic sites. The number of amino acid substitutions per site from mean diversity calculations for the entire population was 0.017. AMOVA analysis revealed a low gene flow that characterises the genetic population structure of this species in South Iberian Peninsula, with a haplotype diversity (h) value of 0.815. No geographically induced differentiation was observed, and separate evolutionary units were not detected. Our results indicate low genetic diversity across the geographical range of H. lusitanicum tick in Andalusia. Our data do not show any genetic discontinuity between the tick populations studied, including specimens from Canary Island and Sicily (Italy).

Molecular divergence between Iridaea cordata (Turner) Bory de Saint-Vincent from the Antarctic Peninsula and the Magellan Region

The distribution of the Southern Ocean (SO) biota is the result of major geological, oceanographic, and climate changes during the last 50 million years (Ma). Several groups of marine benthic organisms exhibit marked taxonomic similarities between the Antarctic Peninsula and southern South America, where families, genera, and even species are currently co-distributed in these continents. Several species of macroalgae including Gigartina skottsbergii, Plocamium cartilagineum, and Iridaea cordata are currently found on both sides of the Drake Passage. Advances in molecular techniques have allowed estimating phylogenetic relationships, levels of differentiation and divergence time estimates between populations from these continents in order to determine whether they constitute separate evolutionary units. In this study, we determine whether Iridaea cordata represents the same evolutionary unit in southern South America and the Antarctic Peninsula or if populations on the two sides of the Drake Passage represent different genetic lineages. According to our results, I. cordata populations from the Antarctic Peninsula and South America are clearly distinguishable evolutionary units with 8.31% and 3.17% mtDNA and cpDNA molecular divergence, respectively. The separation between Antarctic and South American populations of I. cordata occurred at the end of the Miocene, between 5 Ma (rbcL) and 9 Ma (COI-5P). These results are similar to those reported in G. skottsbergii on both sides of the Drake Passage. Thus, I. cordata populations on the two sides of the Drake Passage should be considered two sister species. Cryptic speciation plays an important role in the evolution of the Southern Ocean; thus, the systematics, biogeography, and biodiversity of the region require major revisions.

Mitochondrial Divergence between Western and Eastern Great Bustards: Implications for Conservation and Species Status.

The great bustard is the heaviest bird capable of flight and an iconic species of the Eurasian steppe. Populations of both currently recognized subspecies are highly fragmented and critically small in Asia. We used DNA sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and the mitochondrial control region to estimate the degree of mitochondrial differentiation and rates of female gene flow between the subspecies. We obtained genetic samples from 51 individuals of Otis tarda dybowskii representing multiple populations, including the first samples from Kazakhstan and Mongolia and samples from near the Altai Mountains, the proposed geographic divide between the subspecies, allowing for better characterization of the boundary between the 2 subspecies. We compared these with existing sequence data (n = 66) from Otis tarda tarda. Our results suggest, though do not conclusively prove, that O. t. dybowskii and O. t. tarda may be distinct species. The geographic distribution of haplotypes, phylogenetic analysis, analyses of molecular variance, and coalescent estimation of divergence time and female migration rates indicate that O. t. tarda and O. t. dybowskii are highly differentiated in the mitochondrial genome, have been isolated for approximately 1.4 million years, and exchange much less than 1 female migrant per generation. Our findings indicate that the 2 forms should at least be recognized and managed as separate evolutionary units. Populations in Xinjiang, China and Khövsgöl and Bulgan, Mongolia exhibited the highest levels of genetic diversity and should be prioritized in conservation planning.

Plastid DNA haplotype diversity and morphological variation in theDactylorhiza incarnata/maculatacomplex (Orchidaceae) in northern Poland

To gain an overview of the variation in the Dactylorhiza incarnata/maculata complex in northern Poland, ten plastid DNA regions (seven microsatellite and three indel loci) and 23 morphometric characters were used. In total, 972 and 480 samples from 64 and 31 populations were utilized for the genetic and morphometric analyses, respectively. One hundred and forty-one haplotypes that have not been reported previously were recognized. The continuity of morphological characters between the studied species and the impact of post-glacial colonization on the observed complexity in the Dactylorhiza incarnata/maculata complex were concluded. It was confirmed that the allotetraploid group of D. majalis s.s. has inherited its plastid genome from D. maculata s.l., specifically from D. maculata ssp. fuchsii. In addition, some of the haplotypes found in D. majalis s.s. were distinct and evidently not present in the preserved D. maculata s.l. Although possible gene flow and introgression between two subspecies of the D. maculata s.l. group were indicated, we suggest that they should be treated as separate evolutionary units. Both the common and rare haplotypes show a similar pattern of geographical distribution for all four taxa analysed, which suggests that hybridization took place relatively recently, shortly after the retreat of the ice sheet. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 178, 121–137. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: allopolyploidy – cpDNA – gene flow – genetic diversity – introgression – morphometry – post-glacial migration.

Do evolutionary constraints on thermal performance manifest at different organizational scales?

The two foremost hypotheses on the evolutionary constraints on an organism's thermal sensitivity—the hotter-is-better expectation, and the specialist-generalist trade-off—have received mixed support from empirical studies testing for their existence. Could these conflicting results reflect confusion regarding the organizational level (i.e. species > population > individual) at which these constraints should manifest? We propose that these evolutionary constraints should manifest at different organizational levels because of differences in their underlying causes and requirements. The hotter-is-better expectation should only manifest across separate evolutionary units (e.g. species, populations), and not within populations. The specialist-generalist trade-off, by contrast, should manifest within as well as between separate evolutionary units. We measured the thermal sensitivity of sprint performance for 440 rainforest sun skinks (Lampropholis coggeri) representing 10 populations, and used the resulting performance curves to test for evidence for the hypothesized constraints at two organizational levels: (i) across populations and (ii) within populations. As predicted, the hotter-is-better expectation was evident only at the across-population level, whereas the specialist-generalist trade-off was evident within, as well as across, populations. Our results suggest that, depending on the processes that drive them, evolutionary constraints can manifest at different organizational levels. Consideration of these underlying processes, and the organizational level at which a constraint should manifest, may help resolve conflicting empirical results.

Cryptic speciation in the field vole: a multilocus approach confirms three highly divergent lineages in Eurasia

Species are generally described from morphological features, but there is growing recognition of sister forms that show substantial genetic differentiation without obvious morphological variation and may therefore be considered 'cryptic species'. Here, we investigate the field vole (Microtus agrestis), a Eurasian mammal with little apparent morphological differentiation but which, on the basis of previous sex-linked nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analyses, is subdivided into a Northern and a Southern lineage, sufficiently divergent that they may represent two cryptic species. These earlier studies also provided limited evidence for two major mtDNA lineages within Iberia. In our present study, we extend these findings through a multilocus approach. We sampled 163 individuals from 46 localities, mainly in Iberia, and sequenced seven loci, maternally, paternally and biparentally inherited. Our results show that the mtDNA lineage identified in Portugal is indeed a distinct third lineage on the basis of other markers as well. In fact, multilocus coalescent-based methods clearly support three separate evolutionary units that may represent cryptic species: Northern, Southern and Portuguese. Divergence among these units was inferred to have occurred during the last glacial period; the Portuguese lineage split occurred first (estimated at c. 70 000 bp), and the Northern and Southern lineages separated at around the last glacial maximum (estimated at c. 18 500 bp). Such recent formation of evolutionary units that might be considered species has repercussions in terms of understanding evolutionary processes and the diversity of small mammals in a European context.

Sex and Clonality in the Little Fire Ant

Reproduction systems are controlling the creation of new genetic variants as well as how natural selection can operate on these variants. Therefore, they had historically been one of the main foci of evolutionary biology studies. The little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata, has been found to display an extraordinary reproduction system, in which both males and female queens are produced clonally. So far, native sexual populations of W. auropunctata have not been identified. Our goals were to identify such sexual populations and investigate the origins of female parthenogenesis and male clonality. Using mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite markers in 17 native populations, we found that traditional sexual populations occurred in W. auropunctata and are likely the recent source of neighboring clonal populations. Queen parthenogenesis has probably evolved several times through mutational events. Male clonality is tightly linked to queen parthenogenesis and thus appears to be female controlled. Its origin could be accounted for by 2 mutually exclusive hypotheses: either by the expected coevolution of the 2 sexes (i.e., a variant of the maternal genome elimination hypothesis) or by a shared mechanistic origin (i.e., by the production of anucleate ovules by parthenogenetic queens). Our results also show that W. auropunctata males and females do not form separate evolutionary units and are unlikely to be engaged in an all-out battle of sexes. This work opens up new perspectives for studies on the adaptive significance and evolutionary stability of mixed sexual and clonal reproduction systems in living organisms.

Phylogeography of Aglais urticae (Lepidoptera) based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial COI gene and control region

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of the COI gene and the control region were used to examine the genetic population structure of Aglais urticae L. (Lepidoptera) over its entire geographic range, i.e., the Palaearctic. The phylogenetic relationships within and between A. urticae subspecies were determined and patterns of mtDNA divergence and ecological differentiation were compared. High gene flow together with a recent and sudden population expansion characterise the genetic population structure of this species. No geographically induced differentiation was observed, nor were subspecies identified as separate evolutionary units. The discrepancy between the genetic and ecological variation is most likely due to the slower rate of mtDNA evolution compared to ecological differentiation. The control region proved to be a less useful molecular marker for the population genetics and the phylogenetic reconstruction of closely related taxa in A. urticae than it has for other species. The extreme bias in adenine and thymine content (A + T=90.91%) probably renders this region highly susceptible to homoplasy, resulting in a less informative molecular marker.

Mitochondrial cytochrome b DNA sequence variation of Atlantic cod from Iceland and Greenland

Sequence variation of a 250–bp (base pair) fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene has been studied using polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing of 519 Atlantic cod Gadus morhua from Iceland and 78 cod from Greenland. Twenty‐four variable nucleotide sites, mostly silent, define 34 haplotypes. The amount of variation is high (?C=0·73, π=0·52 per 100 bp) with five haplotypes at polymorphic frequencies in Iceland and a number of widely dispersed rather rare haplotypes. A tree of genetic relationships among haplotypes has considerable homoplasy yet it is relatively shallow implying a high turnover of variants of the polymorphism. Net nucleotide genetic divergences among localities are nil. Geographic locality overall area, and inshore/offshore comparison explain none of the variation in an AMOVA, all the variation is among individuals and a null hypothesis of non‐differentiation of haplotype frequencies among localities or overall areas cannot be rejected. A temporal year‐class effect is found. The evolutionary difference between Greenland and Iceland cod is not significant and the percentage of variation accounted for by the Greenland/Iceland difference is half of what a temporal effect within Iceland explains. There is no evidence for considering the cod at Greenland and Iceland to consist of separate evolutionary units and the question of separate management units must address the lack of diagnostic genotypes and evidence for gene flow from clinal variation.

Species size distributions in marine benthic communities.

Species body size distributions from eight temperate benthic communities show a highly conservative pattern with two separate lognormal distributions, corresponding to the traditional categories of meiofauna and macrofauna. The meiofaunal mode occurs at a dry body weight of 0.64 μg and the macrofaunal mode at 3.2 mg, with a trough between them at 45 μg. It is suggested that there is a particular body size at which meiofaunal life-history and feeding traits can be optimised, and another for macrofaunal traits. As size departs in either direction (larger or smaller) from these optima, fewer species of the same size are able to co-exist. The split occurs at 45 μg because many life history and feeding characteristics switch more or less abruptly at about this body size, compromise traits being either non-viable or disadvantageous. Meiofauna and macrofauna therefore comprise two separate evolutionary units each with an internally coherent set of biological characteristics.The expression of this conservative pattern is modified by water depth: the proportion of macrofauna species increases from intertidal situations to deeper water, and it is suggested that mechanisms of resource partitioning and diversity maintainence in the meiofauna and macrofauna are affected differentially by sediment disturbance. Salinity does not affect this proportionality, and so does not differentially affect mechanisms for maintaining species diversity in any particular size category of animals. Meiofauna species size distributions may be modified in sandy sediments because of physical impositions on interstitial or burrowing lifestyles.Brief discussion of some implications of these observations includes speculations on the larval ecology of macrofauna, on gigantism in Antarctic invertebrates, and on the benthic Sheldon spectrum.

About processes which cause the evolution of guilds and species

If we accept that evolution (or for that matter phylogeny in a gradualistic sense) is a succession of ontogenies, the mechanism of change can be explained by saltatory processes and by heterochrony. These mechanisms may also contribute to our understanding of how lineages of species and guilds exist as separate entities at any given time. For, contrary to popular belief, separate evolutionary units and trends could hardly exist in a continuous world. When I first presented a classification of reproductive styles in fishes (Balon 1975a,b) it was my intention to synthesize specific evolutionary trends (trajectories). My classification has since been accepted, at least by some, for its heuristic or didactic value (Welcomme 1979, Love & Cailliet 1979, Bond 1979, Miller 1979a, Simpson 1979, Moyle & Cech 1981) and referred to in relation to evolutionary theory, ontogeny of behavior, system modelling and ecology’(e.g. Lett 1975, Chadwick 1976, Regier & 14 others 1976, Balon et al. 1977, Regier 1978, Noakes