Authors: Isa Schön Céline Poux Erik Verheyen Koen Martens
Publish Date: 2013/07/26
Volume: 739, Issue: 1, Pages: 119-131
Abstract
Ostracods form a substantial part of the endemic fauna of ancient lakes Here we have investigated the phylogenetic and phylogeographic patterns and genetic diversities of species of the endemic genus Romecytheridea from the Southern and Central part of Lake Tanganyika We found that ostracod populations from four different localities are genetically highly differentiated from each other when analyzing the mitochondrial 16S region while they are almost identical with genetic markers from the nuclear genome D1D2 from the large ribosomal subunit LSU and ITS The criteria of the K/θ method for the evolutionary species concepts are fulfilled when analyzing 16S DNA sequence data indicating that these populations are in fact different cryptic species with allopatric distribution We discuss various hypotheses on how this high diversity could have originated The complete lineage segregation can partly be explained by geographic isolation during periods of low lake level stands But other factors must have contributed to genetic isolation and speciation as the two closest populations Chimba and Katoto from shallow parts of the Southern basin of Tanganyika are also geographically fully segregated
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