Genomic, morphological and physiological data support fast ecotypic differentiation and incipient speciation in an alpine diving beetle.

Autor: Pallarés S; Department of Zoology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain., Ortego J; Department of Ecology and Evolution, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, Seville, Spain., Carbonell JA; Department of Zoology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain., Franco-Fuentes E; Department of Zoology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain., Bilton DT; School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK.; Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa., Millán A; Department of Ecology and Hydrology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain., Abellán P; Department of Zoology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Molecular ecology [Mol Ecol] 2024 Sep; Vol. 33 (17), pp. e17487. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Aug 07.
DOI: 10.1111/mec.17487
Abstrakt: 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.
(© 2024 The Author(s). Molecular Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
Externí odkaz: