Evolutionary history of the Pelasgus minnows (Teleostei: Leuciscidae), an ancient endemic genus from the Balkan Peninsula

Small-scale metapopulation structure of a limnophilic fish species in a natural river system investigated using microsatellite genotyping by amplicon sequencing (SSR-GBAS)

Habitat niches of fish species can exert a strong influence on population structure, even on a small geographical scale. In this scope, Pelasgus thesproticus is a great model species to study connectivity in riverine environments owing to its naturally patchy habitat distribution. Furthermore, it is important to conduct such studies in near-natural systems to avoid the impact of human disturbances on the river, such as fragmentation, morphological changes and habitat degradation. In this sense, the Vjosa in Albania is an excellent study area. A total of 204 individuals were sampled from five locations in the lower Vjosa and two tributaries and genotyped with 33 newly designed microsatellites loci using high throughput sequencing. The application of microsatellite genotyping by sequencing revealed genetic structure and some differentiation, even at a small spatial scale (< 65 river km). A total of 500 alleles were found with an average of 0.93 private alleles among sites with rather low FST values (< 0.04). The extent of admixture observed in some populations indicate that the genetic structure is mainly influenced by upstream populations, either from the main river itself or from tributaries. In addition, the connection between a tributary and the other sites is disrupted by the flow regime, which is reflected in a high degree of divergence from the other populations. Our results indicate that hydrological conditions of the flowing river present strong barriers to gene flow, particularly in the upstream direction, but at the same time act as dispersal corridors in the downstream direction and exhibit source-sink dynamics in which upstream populations contribute disproportionately to downstream populations for this habitat specialist along the river. It is suggested that processes of colonization and reinforcement may play an important role in shaping the genetic structure of patchily distributed fish species in natural river systems. Future studies should increase the knowledge of dispersal factors, habitat heterogeneity, consequence of source-sink dynamics, and gene flow within the system, which will help to understand and maintain important processes related to metapopulation theory and the potential evolutionary consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation.

Monogeneans and chubs: Ancient host-parasite system under the looking glass

Host-parasite coevolution is one of the fundamentals of evolutionary biology. Due to the intertwined evolutionary history of two interacting species and reciprocal coadaptation processes of hosts and parasites, we can expect that studying parasites will shed more light onto the evolutionary processes of their hosts. Monogenea (ectoparasitic Platyhelminthes) and their cyprinoid fish hosts represent one of the best models for studying host-parasite evolutionary relationships using a cophylogenetic approach. These parasites have developed remarkably high host specificity, where each host species often serves as a potential host for its own host-specific monogenean species. Here, the cophylogenetic relationships in the Dactylogyrus-Squalius system was investigated, as Squalius is one of several cyprinoid genera with puzzling phylogeography and inhabits all four major peri-Mediterranean peninsulas. Of 29 endemic Squalius species examined for the presence of Dactylogyrus parasites, a total of 13 Dactylogyrus species were collected from the gills of 20 Squalius species across a wide range of distribution. Phylogenetic reconstruction revealed a polyphyletic origin for Dactylogyrus species parasitizing congeneric Squalius, with four major clades being recognized. On the basis of the delimitation of host specificity, strict specialists parasitizing single host species, geographic specialists parasitizing congeners in a limited geographical region, and true generalists parasitizing congeners in various geographical regions were recognized in Dactylogyrus species parasitizing Squalius. The phylogenetic reconstruction of Squalius hosts revealed two major clades, the first encompassing only peri-Mediterranean species and the second including species from other Euro-Asian regions. Distance-based cophylogenetic methods did not reveal a statistically significant global cophylogenetic structure in the studied system; however, several host-parasite links among Iberian endemic species contributed significantly to the overall structure. The widest host range and associated genetic variability were recorded for D. folkmanovae, parasitizing nine Squalius species, and D. vistulae, parasitizing 13 Squalius species. Two different dispersion mechanisms and morphological adaptations to Squalius hosts were clearly reflected in the contrasting cophylogenetic patterns for these two species with different levels of host specificity. While host-parasite cospeciation plays an important role in diversification within D. folkmanovae, diversification within D. vistulae is driven mainly by host switching.