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Toward the conservation of the endemic monotypic fish genus Aulopyge from the Balkan Dinaric karst: Integrative assessment of introduced and natural population.

ABSTRACT: The complex biogeographical history of the Balkan Peninsula caused remarkable freshwater fish diversity and endemism, among which Cyprinidae fish dominate. The Dinaric karst was a Pleistocene refugium and it harbors ancient and endemic cyprinids, including Aulopyge huegelii, a sole representative of its genus. Being highly distributionally restricted, it faces various threats that promote a critical decline in population abundance and even population extinction. Phenotypic and molecular diversity of the introduced (Šator Lake, Šator Mountain) and natural (Studena River, Duvanjsko Polje) populations of Dalmatian barbelgudgeon from Bosnia and Herzegovina was studied by using two mitochondrial genes and morphometric traits (linear and geometric morphometrics). Nonparametric ANOVA showed that two analyzed populations significantly differed in six linear measurements, except snout length and postorbital head length. Contrary to centroid size, two populations were found to be significantly different in body shape. Deformation grids indicated that individuals from Studena River are characterized by wider and slightly shorter body comparing to individuals from Šator Lake. Incongruence in cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and cytochrome b (cyt b) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation was observed since a common COI haplotype was observed, while four and three cyt b haplotypes were registered in Šator Lake and Studena River, respectively. Since it was demonstrated that cyt b mtDNA was a faster evolving gene, we encourage its use in intraspecies studies, especially for evaluating the connectivity of fragmented populations and for studying the evolutionary footprint of the processes incorporated into the distinctive evolution of Aulopyge. Finally, findings herewith provide a firm basis for designing a long-term sustainable conservation strategy for endemic species in Dinaric karst.

SUBMITTER: Ludoski J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7820161 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Toward the conservation of the endemic monotypic fish genus <i>Aulopyge</i> from the Balkan Dinaric karst: Integrative assessment of introduced and natural population.

Ludoški Jasmina J Francuski Ljubinka L Lukač Milica M Dekić Radoslav R Milankov Vesna V

Ecology and evolution 20201210 2

The complex biogeographical history of the Balkan Peninsula caused remarkable freshwater fish diversity and endemism, among which Cyprinidae fish dominate. The Dinaric karst was a Pleistocene refugium and it harbors ancient and endemic cyprinids, including <i>Aulopyge huegelii</i>, a sole representative of its genus. Being highly distributionally restricted, it faces various threats that promote a critical decline in population abundance and even population extinction. Phenotypic and molecular d ...[more]

PMID: 33520158

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Project description:BackgroundPatterns of biodiversity in the subterranean realm are typically different from those encountered on the Earth's surface. The Dinaric karst of Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina is a global hotspot of subterranean biodiversity. How this was achieved and why this is so remain largely unresolved despite a long tradition of research. To obtain insights into the colonisation of the Dinaric Karst and the effects of the subterranean realm on its inhabitants, we studied the tertiary relict Congeria, a unique cave-dwelling bivalve (Dreissenidae), using a combination of biogeographical, molecular, morphological, and paleontological information.ResultsPhylogenetic and molecular clock analyses using both nuclear and mitochondrial markers have shown that the surviving Congeria lineage has actually split into three distinct species, i.e., C. kusceri, C. jalzici sp. nov. and C. mulaomerovici sp. nov., by vicariant processes in the late Miocene and Pliocene. Despite millions of years of independent evolution, analyses have demonstrated a great deal of shell similarity between modern Congeria species, although slight differences in hinge plate structure have enabled the description of the two new species. Ancestral plesiomorphic shell forms seem to have been conserved during the processes of cave colonisation and subsequent lineage isolation. In contrast, shell morphology is divergent within one of the lineages, probably due to microhabitat differences.ConclusionsFollowing the turbulent evolution of the Dreissenidae during the Tertiary and major radiations in Lake Pannon, species of Congeria went extinct. One lineage survived, however, by adopting a unique life history strategy that suited it to the underground environment. In light of our new data, an alternative scenario for its colonisation of the karst is proposed. The extant Congeria comprises three sister species that, to date, have only been found to live in 15 caves in the Dinaric karst. Inter-specific morphological stasis and intra-specific ecophenotypic plasticity of the congerid shell demonstrate the contrasting ways in which evolution in the underground environments shapes its inhabitants.

Dataset Information

Toward the conservation of the endemic monotypic fish genus Aulopyge from the Balkan Dinaric karst: Integrative assessment of introduced and natural population.

Publications

Toward the conservation of the endemic monotypic fish genus <i>Aulopyge</i> from the Balkan Dinaric karst: Integrative assessment of introduced and natural population.

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