Uncovering the Grinnellian niche space of the cryptic species complex Gammarus roeselii
Background The discovery of cryptic species complexes within morphologically established species comes with challenges in the classification and handling of these species. We hardly know to what extent species within a species complex differ ecologically. Such knowledge is essential to assess the vu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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PeerJ Inc.
2023-08-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/15800.pdf |
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| author | Jana Kabus Sarah Cunze Andrea Dombrowski Ioannis Karaouzas Spase Shumka Jonas Jourdan |
| author_facet | Jana Kabus Sarah Cunze Andrea Dombrowski Ioannis Karaouzas Spase Shumka Jonas Jourdan |
| author_sort | Jana Kabus |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background The discovery of cryptic species complexes within morphologically established species comes with challenges in the classification and handling of these species. We hardly know to what extent species within a species complex differ ecologically. Such knowledge is essential to assess the vulnerability of individual genetic lineages in the face of global change. The abiotic conditions, i.e., the Grinnellian niche that a genetic lineage colonizes, provides insights into how diverse the ecological requirements of each evolutionary lineage are within a species complex. Material and Methods We sampled the cryptic species complex of the amphipod Gammarus roeselii from Central Germany to Greece and identified genetic lineages based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcoding. At the same time, we recorded various abiotic parameters and local pollution parameters using a series of in vitro assays to then characterize the Grinnellian niches of the morphospecies (i.e., Gammarus roeselii sensu lato) as well as each genetic lineage. Local pollution can be a significant factor explaining current and future distributions in times of increasing production and release of chemicals into surface waters. Results We identified five spatially structured genetic lineages in our dataset that differed to varying degrees in their Grinnellian niche. In some cases, the niches were very similar despite the geographical separation of lineages, supporting the hypothesis of niche conservatism while being allopatrically separated. In other cases, we found a small niche that was clearly different from those of other genetic lineages. Conclusion The variable niches and overlaps of different dimensions make the G. roeselii species complex a promising model system to further study ecological, phenotypic and functional differentiation within this species complex. In general, our results show that the Grinnellian niches of genetically distinct molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) within a cryptic species complex can differ significantly between each other, calling for closer inspection of cryptic species in a conservational and biodiversity context. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:12:23Z |
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| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:12:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-780a0d9af274421facbf1e005cb637d42023-12-03T08:56:04ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592023-08-0111e1580010.7717/peerj.15800Uncovering the Grinnellian niche space of the cryptic species complex Gammarus roeseliiJana Kabus0Sarah Cunze1Andrea Dombrowski2Ioannis Karaouzas3Spase Shumka4Jonas Jourdan5Department Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, GermanyDepartment of Integrative Parasitology and Zoophysiology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, GermanyDepartment Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, GermanyInstitute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Anavyssos, GreeceFaculty of Biotechnology and Food, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, AlbaniaDepartment Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, GermanyBackground The discovery of cryptic species complexes within morphologically established species comes with challenges in the classification and handling of these species. We hardly know to what extent species within a species complex differ ecologically. Such knowledge is essential to assess the vulnerability of individual genetic lineages in the face of global change. The abiotic conditions, i.e., the Grinnellian niche that a genetic lineage colonizes, provides insights into how diverse the ecological requirements of each evolutionary lineage are within a species complex. Material and Methods We sampled the cryptic species complex of the amphipod Gammarus roeselii from Central Germany to Greece and identified genetic lineages based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcoding. At the same time, we recorded various abiotic parameters and local pollution parameters using a series of in vitro assays to then characterize the Grinnellian niches of the morphospecies (i.e., Gammarus roeselii sensu lato) as well as each genetic lineage. Local pollution can be a significant factor explaining current and future distributions in times of increasing production and release of chemicals into surface waters. Results We identified five spatially structured genetic lineages in our dataset that differed to varying degrees in their Grinnellian niche. In some cases, the niches were very similar despite the geographical separation of lineages, supporting the hypothesis of niche conservatism while being allopatrically separated. In other cases, we found a small niche that was clearly different from those of other genetic lineages. Conclusion The variable niches and overlaps of different dimensions make the G. roeselii species complex a promising model system to further study ecological, phenotypic and functional differentiation within this species complex. In general, our results show that the Grinnellian niches of genetically distinct molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) within a cryptic species complex can differ significantly between each other, calling for closer inspection of cryptic species in a conservational and biodiversity context.https://peerj.com/articles/15800.pdfGrinnellian nicheCryptic speciesAmphipodaNiche conservatismGammarus roeseliiBalkan peninsula |
| spellingShingle | Jana Kabus Sarah Cunze Andrea Dombrowski Ioannis Karaouzas Spase Shumka Jonas Jourdan Uncovering the Grinnellian niche space of the cryptic species complex Gammarus roeselii PeerJ Grinnellian niche Cryptic species Amphipoda Niche conservatism Gammarus roeselii Balkan peninsula |
| title | Uncovering the Grinnellian niche space of the cryptic species complex Gammarus roeselii |
| title_full | Uncovering the Grinnellian niche space of the cryptic species complex Gammarus roeselii |
| title_fullStr | Uncovering the Grinnellian niche space of the cryptic species complex Gammarus roeselii |
| title_full_unstemmed | Uncovering the Grinnellian niche space of the cryptic species complex Gammarus roeselii |
| title_short | Uncovering the Grinnellian niche space of the cryptic species complex Gammarus roeselii |
| title_sort | uncovering the grinnellian niche space of the cryptic species complex gammarus roeselii |
| topic | Grinnellian niche Cryptic species Amphipoda Niche conservatism Gammarus roeselii Balkan peninsula |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/15800.pdf |
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