The tale of springs and streams: how different aquatic ecosystems impacted the mtDNA population structure of two riffle beetles in the Western Carpathians

The Western Carpathians are a particularly interesting part of the Carpathian Arc. According to recent molecular data upon aquatic and terrestrial taxa, this mountain area is an important biodiversity hotspot of Europe. Moreover, the W Carpathians include rich systems of karst springs inhabited by s...

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Main Authors: Jana Bozáňová, Zuzana Čiamporová Zat’ovičová, Fedor Čiampor Jr, Tomasz Mamos, Michał Grabowski
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2020-10-01
Series:PeerJ
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Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/10039.pdf
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author Jana Bozáňová
Zuzana Čiamporová Zat’ovičová
Fedor Čiampor Jr
Tomasz Mamos
Michał Grabowski
author_facet Jana Bozáňová
Zuzana Čiamporová Zat’ovičová
Fedor Čiampor Jr
Tomasz Mamos
Michał Grabowski
author_sort Jana Bozáňová
collection DOAJ
description The Western Carpathians are a particularly interesting part of the Carpathian Arc. According to recent molecular data upon aquatic and terrestrial taxa, this mountain area is an important biodiversity hotspot of Europe. Moreover, the W Carpathians include rich systems of karst springs inhabited by specific fauna, where molecular diversity and phylogeographic patterns are yet to be fully explored. Our study aims to compare population genetic structure and molecular diversity of two related and commonly co-occurring riffle beetles, Elmis aenea (PWJ Müller, 1806) and Limnius perrisi (Dufour, 1843) in the springs and streams of the W Carpathians using the mitochondrial DNA barcoding fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI). The relatively stable thermal and chemical conditions of springs throughout unfavourable climatic settings make these highly specific lotic systems potentially ideal for a long-term survival of some aquatic biota. Populations of both elmid species were relatively homogeneous genetically, with a single dominant haplotype. However, we revealed that E. aenea significantly dominated in the springs, while L. perrisi preferred streams. Relative isolation of the springs and their stable conditions were reflected in significantly higher molecular diversity of the E. aenea population in comparison to L. perrisi. The results of Bayesian Skyline Plot analysis also indicated the exceptional position of springs regarding maintaining the population size of E. aenea. On the other hand, it seems that streams in the W Carpathians provide more effective dispersal channels for L. perrisi, whose population expanded much earlier compared to E. aenea. Present study points out that different demographic histories of these two closely related elmid species are manifested by their different habitat preference and molecular diversity.
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spelling doaj.art-0a8c8f141b264edaaad445b4fcd02d502023-12-03T11:02:23ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592020-10-018e1003910.7717/peerj.10039The tale of springs and streams: how different aquatic ecosystems impacted the mtDNA population structure of two riffle beetles in the Western CarpathiansJana Bozáňová0Zuzana Čiamporová Zat’ovičová1Fedor Čiampor Jr2Tomasz Mamos3Michał Grabowski4Department of Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovak RepublicZooLab, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak RepublicZooLab, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak RepublicDepartment of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, Faculty of Biology & Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Łódź, PolandDepartment of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, Faculty of Biology & Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Łódź, PolandThe Western Carpathians are a particularly interesting part of the Carpathian Arc. According to recent molecular data upon aquatic and terrestrial taxa, this mountain area is an important biodiversity hotspot of Europe. Moreover, the W Carpathians include rich systems of karst springs inhabited by specific fauna, where molecular diversity and phylogeographic patterns are yet to be fully explored. Our study aims to compare population genetic structure and molecular diversity of two related and commonly co-occurring riffle beetles, Elmis aenea (PWJ Müller, 1806) and Limnius perrisi (Dufour, 1843) in the springs and streams of the W Carpathians using the mitochondrial DNA barcoding fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI). The relatively stable thermal and chemical conditions of springs throughout unfavourable climatic settings make these highly specific lotic systems potentially ideal for a long-term survival of some aquatic biota. Populations of both elmid species were relatively homogeneous genetically, with a single dominant haplotype. However, we revealed that E. aenea significantly dominated in the springs, while L. perrisi preferred streams. Relative isolation of the springs and their stable conditions were reflected in significantly higher molecular diversity of the E. aenea population in comparison to L. perrisi. The results of Bayesian Skyline Plot analysis also indicated the exceptional position of springs regarding maintaining the population size of E. aenea. On the other hand, it seems that streams in the W Carpathians provide more effective dispersal channels for L. perrisi, whose population expanded much earlier compared to E. aenea. Present study points out that different demographic histories of these two closely related elmid species are manifested by their different habitat preference and molecular diversity.https://peerj.com/articles/10039.pdfRiffle beetlesKarst springsWestern CarpathiansCOIGenetic diversity
spellingShingle Jana Bozáňová
Zuzana Čiamporová Zat’ovičová
Fedor Čiampor Jr
Tomasz Mamos
Michał Grabowski
The tale of springs and streams: how different aquatic ecosystems impacted the mtDNA population structure of two riffle beetles in the Western Carpathians
PeerJ
Riffle beetles
Karst springs
Western Carpathians
COI
Genetic diversity
title The tale of springs and streams: how different aquatic ecosystems impacted the mtDNA population structure of two riffle beetles in the Western Carpathians
title_full The tale of springs and streams: how different aquatic ecosystems impacted the mtDNA population structure of two riffle beetles in the Western Carpathians
title_fullStr The tale of springs and streams: how different aquatic ecosystems impacted the mtDNA population structure of two riffle beetles in the Western Carpathians
title_full_unstemmed The tale of springs and streams: how different aquatic ecosystems impacted the mtDNA population structure of two riffle beetles in the Western Carpathians
title_short The tale of springs and streams: how different aquatic ecosystems impacted the mtDNA population structure of two riffle beetles in the Western Carpathians
title_sort tale of springs and streams how different aquatic ecosystems impacted the mtdna population structure of two riffle beetles in the western carpathians
topic Riffle beetles
Karst springs
Western Carpathians
COI
Genetic diversity
url https://peerj.com/articles/10039.pdf
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