Specific and Intraspecific Diversity of Symphypleona and Neelipleona (Hexapoda: Collembola) in Southern High Appalachia (USA)
Collembola, commonly known as springtails, are important detritivores, abundant in leaf litter and soil globally. Springtails are wingless hexapods with many North American species having wide distributions ranging from as far as Alaska to Mexico. Here, we analyze the occurrence and intraspecific di...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/10/847 |
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| author | Caroline D. Dukes Frans Janssens Ernesto Recuero Michael S. Caterino |
| author_facet | Caroline D. Dukes Frans Janssens Ernesto Recuero Michael S. Caterino |
| author_sort | Caroline D. Dukes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Collembola, commonly known as springtails, are important detritivores, abundant in leaf litter and soil globally. Springtails are wingless hexapods with many North American species having wide distributions ranging from as far as Alaska to Mexico. Here, we analyze the occurrence and intraspecific diversity of springtails with a globular body shape (Symphypleona and Neelipleona), in southern high Appalachia, a significant biodiversity hotspot. The peaks of high Appalachia represent ‘sky islands’ due to their physical isolation, and they host numerous endemic species in other taxa. We surveyed globular Collembola through COI metabarcoding, assessing geographic and genetic diversity across localities and species. Intraspecific diversity in globular Collembola was extremely high, suggesting that considerable cryptic speciation has occurred. While we were able to associate morphospecies with described species in most of the major families in the region (Dicyrtomidae, Katiannidae, Sminthuridae, and Sminthurididae), other families (Neelidae, and Arrhopalitidae) are in more pressing need of taxonomic revision before species identities can be confirmed. Due to poor representation in databases, and high intraspecific variability, no identifications were accomplished through comparison with available DNA barcodes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:21:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb9176c464544f9c9f5c90acaca72981 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:21:54Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb9176c464544f9c9f5c90acaca729812023-11-23T23:48:44ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182022-10-01141084710.3390/d14100847Specific and Intraspecific Diversity of Symphypleona and Neelipleona (Hexapoda: Collembola) in Southern High Appalachia (USA)Caroline D. Dukes0Frans Janssens1Ernesto Recuero2Michael S. Caterino3Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USAEvolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, BelgiumDepartment of Plant & Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USADepartment of Plant & Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USACollembola, commonly known as springtails, are important detritivores, abundant in leaf litter and soil globally. Springtails are wingless hexapods with many North American species having wide distributions ranging from as far as Alaska to Mexico. Here, we analyze the occurrence and intraspecific diversity of springtails with a globular body shape (Symphypleona and Neelipleona), in southern high Appalachia, a significant biodiversity hotspot. The peaks of high Appalachia represent ‘sky islands’ due to their physical isolation, and they host numerous endemic species in other taxa. We surveyed globular Collembola through COI metabarcoding, assessing geographic and genetic diversity across localities and species. Intraspecific diversity in globular Collembola was extremely high, suggesting that considerable cryptic speciation has occurred. While we were able to associate morphospecies with described species in most of the major families in the region (Dicyrtomidae, Katiannidae, Sminthuridae, and Sminthurididae), other families (Neelidae, and Arrhopalitidae) are in more pressing need of taxonomic revision before species identities can be confirmed. Due to poor representation in databases, and high intraspecific variability, no identifications were accomplished through comparison with available DNA barcodes.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/10/847metabarcodingAppalachian Mountainscryptic speciesspringtailssoil biodiversity |
| spellingShingle | Caroline D. Dukes Frans Janssens Ernesto Recuero Michael S. Caterino Specific and Intraspecific Diversity of Symphypleona and Neelipleona (Hexapoda: Collembola) in Southern High Appalachia (USA) Diversity metabarcoding Appalachian Mountains cryptic species springtails soil biodiversity |
| title | Specific and Intraspecific Diversity of Symphypleona and Neelipleona (Hexapoda: Collembola) in Southern High Appalachia (USA) |
| title_full | Specific and Intraspecific Diversity of Symphypleona and Neelipleona (Hexapoda: Collembola) in Southern High Appalachia (USA) |
| title_fullStr | Specific and Intraspecific Diversity of Symphypleona and Neelipleona (Hexapoda: Collembola) in Southern High Appalachia (USA) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Specific and Intraspecific Diversity of Symphypleona and Neelipleona (Hexapoda: Collembola) in Southern High Appalachia (USA) |
| title_short | Specific and Intraspecific Diversity of Symphypleona and Neelipleona (Hexapoda: Collembola) in Southern High Appalachia (USA) |
| title_sort | specific and intraspecific diversity of symphypleona and neelipleona hexapoda collembola in southern high appalachia usa |
| topic | metabarcoding Appalachian Mountains cryptic species springtails soil biodiversity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/10/847 |
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