Dataset Information

Genetic calibration of species diversity among North America's freshwater fishes.

ABSTRACT: Freshwater ecosystems are being heavily exploited and degraded by human activities all over the world, including in North America, where fishes and fisheries are strongly affected. Despite centuries of taxonomic inquiry, problems inherent to species identification continue to hamper the conservation of North American freshwater fishes. Indeed, nearly 10% of species diversity is thought to remain undescribed. To provide an independent calibration of taxonomic uncertainty and to establish a more accessible molecular identification key for its application, we generated a standard reference library of mtDNA sequences (DNA barcodes) derived from expert-identified museum specimens for 752 North American freshwater fish species. This study demonstrates that 90% of known species can be delineated using barcodes. Moreover, it reveals numerous genetic discontinuities indicative of independently evolving lineages within described species, which points to the presence of morphologically cryptic diversity. From the 752 species analyzed, our survey flagged 138 named species that represent as many as 347 candidate species, which suggests a 28% increase in species diversity. In contrast, several species of parasitic and nonparasitic lampreys lack such discontinuity and may represent alternative life history strategies within single species. Therefore, it appears that the current North American freshwater fish taxonomy at the species level significantly conceals diversity in some groups, although artificially creating diversity in others. In addition to providing an easily accessible digital identification system, this study identifies 151 fish species for which taxonomic revision is required.

SUBMITTER: April J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3127898 | biostudies-other | 2011 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Genetic calibration of species diversity among North America's freshwater fishes.

April Julien J Mayden Richard L RL Hanner Robert H RH Bernatchez Louis L

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20110613 26

Freshwater ecosystems are being heavily exploited and degraded by human activities all over the world, including in North America, where fishes and fisheries are strongly affected. Despite centuries of taxonomic inquiry, problems inherent to species identification continue to hamper the conservation of North American freshwater fishes. Indeed, nearly 10% of species diversity is thought to remain undescribed. To provide an independent calibration of taxonomic uncertainty and to establish a more a ...[more]

PMID: 21670289

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Project description:BackgroundLife history characteristics are considered important factors influencing the evolutionary processes of natural populations, including the patterns of population genetic structure of a species. The sister species Cottus hangiongensis and C. koreanus are small bottom-dwelling freshwater sculpin fishes from South Korea that display marked life history divergence but are morphologically nearly indistinguishable. Cottus hangiongensis evolved an 'amphidromous' life history with a post-hatching pelagic larval phase. They spawn many small eggs in the low reaches of rivers, and hatched larvae migrate to the sea before returning to grow to maturity in the river mouth. In contrast, C. koreanus evolved a 'fluvial' landlocked type with benthic larvae. They release a smaller number of larger eggs, and the larvae undergo direct development, remaining benthic in the upstream rivers throughout their entire lives. We tested whether there were differences in patterns and levels of within-population genetic diversities and spatial population structure between the two closely related Korean sculpins using mitochondrial DNA control region sequences and seven nuclear microsatellite loci.ResultsThe combined analyses of both marker sets revealed that C. hangiongensis harboured considerably higher levels of within-population genetic diversities (e.g. haplotype/allelic richness, heterozygosities) than C. koreanus. In contrast, the fluvial sculpin exhibited noticeably more spatial population structure than did the amphidromous sculpin, as suggested by pairwise FST statistics. The finding that C. hangiongensis individuals comprised a single random mating population across the east-flowing river basins in the Korean Peninsula, whereas C. koreanus individuals comprised genetically discrete individual populations, was further supported by an individual-based Bayesian population assignment and also factorial correspondence analyses.ConclusionsThe higher genetic diversity, but lower population structure, of the amphidromous sculpin relative to the fluvial sculpin may have resulted from its greater larval dispersal and also possibly, higher fecundity accompanied by an amphidromous life history. Hence, we conclude that contrasting early life histories - including the presence or absence of the pelagic larval phase - may have led to divergent patterns of within-population genetic diversities and spatial population structure between the sister Cottus species following speciation from a common ancestor of marine sculpin.

Dataset Information

Genetic calibration of species diversity among North America's freshwater fishes.

Publications

Genetic calibration of species diversity among North America's freshwater fishes.

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