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Pallarés S, Ortego J, Carbonell JA, Franco-Fuentes E, Bilton DT, Millán A, Abellán P. Genomic, morphological and physiological data support fast ecotypic differentiation and incipient speciation in an alpine diving beetle. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17487. [PMID: 39108249 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
An intricate interplay between evolutionary and demographic processes has frequently resulted in complex patterns of genetic and phenotypic diversity in alpine lineages, posing serious challenges to species delimitation and biodiversity conservation planning. Here we integrate genomic data, geometric morphometric analyses and thermal tolerance experiments to explore the role of Pleistocene climatic changes and adaptation to alpine environments on patterns of genomic and phenotypic variation in diving beetles from the taxonomically complex Agabus bipustulatus species group. Genetic structure and phylogenomic analyses revealed the presence of three geographically cohesive lineages, two representing trans-Palearctic and Iberian populations of the elevation-generalist A. bipustulatus and another corresponding to the strictly-alpine A. nevadensis, a narrow-range endemic taxon from the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southeastern Iberia. The best-supported model of lineage divergence, along with the existence of pervasive genetic introgression and admixture in secondary contact zones, is consistent with a scenario of population isolation and connectivity linked to Quaternary climatic oscillations. Our results suggest that A. nevadensis is an alpine ecotype of A. bipustulatus, whose genotypic, morphological and physiological differentiation likely resulted from an interplay between population isolation and local altitudinal adaptation. Remarkably, within the Iberian Peninsula, such ecotypic differentiation is unique to Sierra Nevada populations and has not been replicated in other alpine populations of A. bipustulatus. Collectively, our study supports fast ecotypic differentiation and incipient speciation processes within the study complex and points to Pleistocene glaciations and local adaptation along elevational gradients as key drivers of biodiversity generation in alpine environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Pallarés
- Department of Zoology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Joaquín Ortego
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | | | | | - David T Bilton
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
- Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Andrés Millán
- Department of Ecology and Hydrology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Pedro Abellán
- Department of Zoology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
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Hawlitschek O, Bruns C, Dey LS, Nuhlíčková S, Felix R, van Kleef H, Nakel J, Husemann M. The Genomics of Isolated Populations of Gampsocleis glabra (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) in Central and Western Europe. INSECTS 2023; 14:946. [PMID: 38132619 PMCID: PMC10743875 DOI: 10.3390/insects14120946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Habitat destruction and fragmentation are among the major current threats to global biodiversity. Fragmentation may also affect species with good dispersal abilities. We study the heath bushcricket Gampsocleis glabra, a specialist of steppe-like habitats across Europe that are highly fragmented, investigating if these isolated populations can be distinguished using population genomics and if there are any traces of admixture or dispersal among them. We try to answer these questions using genome-wide SNP data generated with ddRAD sequencing. We calculated F-statistics and visualized differentiation using STRUCTURE plots. While limited by the difficulty of sampling this threatened species, our results show that all populations except one that was represented by a singleton were clearly distinct, with pairwise FST values between 0.010 and 0.181. STRUCTURE indicated limited but visible admixture across most populations and probably also an exchange of individuals between populations of Germany and The Netherlands. We conclude that in G. glabra, a certain amount of gene flow has persisted, at least in the past, also among populations that are isolated today. We also detect a possibly more recent dispersal event between a population in The Netherlands and one in Germany, which may be human aided. We suggest that the conservation of larger populations should be maintained, that efforts should be taken to restore abandoned habitat, that the preservation even of small habitat fragments may be beneficial for the conservation of this species, and that these habitats should be regularly monitored for possible (re-)colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Hawlitschek
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Universität Zürich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), Museum of Nature, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; (C.B.); (L.-S.D.); (M.H.)
| | - Carsten Bruns
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), Museum of Nature, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; (C.B.); (L.-S.D.); (M.H.)
| | - Lara-Sophie Dey
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), Museum of Nature, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; (C.B.); (L.-S.D.); (M.H.)
- Senckenberg German Entomological Institute, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Soňa Nuhlíčková
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, SK-84215 Bratislava, Slovakia;
| | - Rob Felix
- Natuurbalans–Limes Divergens, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands;
| | - Hein van Kleef
- Bargerveen Foundation, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands;
- Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Biology, Karlstad University, 65188 Karlstad, Sweden
| | | | - Martin Husemann
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), Museum of Nature, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; (C.B.); (L.-S.D.); (M.H.)
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe (SMNK), 76133 Karlsruhe, Germany
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Stankowski S. Digest: On the origin of a possible hybrid species. Evolution 2022; 76:2784-2785. [PMID: 36112597 PMCID: PMC9825991 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 12/12/1912] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Hybrid speciation-the origin of new species resulting from the hybridization of genetically divergent lineages-was once considered rare, but genomic data suggest that it may occur more often than once thought. In this study, Noguerales and Ortego found genomic evidence supporting the hybrid origin of a grasshopper that is able to exploit a broader range of host plants than either of its putative parents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Stankowski
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria)KlosterneuburgAustria
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