Work

Phylogeographic patterns of a lower intertidal isopod in the Gulf of California and the Caribbean and comparison with other intertidal isopods

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: A growing body of knowledge on the diversity and evolution of intertidal isopods across different regions worldwide has enhanced our understanding on biological diversification at the poorly studied, yet vast, sea–land interface. High genetic divergences among numerous allopatric lineages have been identified within presumed single broadly distributed species.Excirolana mayanais an intertidal isopod that is commonly found in sandy beaches throughout the Gulf of California. Its distribution in the Pacific extends from this basin to Colombia and in the Atlantic from Florida to Venezuela. Despite its broad distribution and ecological importance, its evolutionary history has been largely neglected. Herein, we examined phylogeographic patterns ofE. mayanain the Gulf of California and the Caribbean, based on maximum‐likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses ofDNAsequences from four mitochondrial genes (16SrDNA, 12SrDNA, cytochrome oxidase I gene, and cytochrome b gene). We compared the phylogeographic patterns ofE. mayanawith those of the coastal isopodsLigiaandExcirolana braziliensis(Gulf of California and Caribbean) andTylos(Gulf of California). We found highly divergent lineages in both, the Gulf of California and Caribbean, suggesting the presence of multiple species. We identified two instances of Atlantic–Pacific divergences. Some geographical structuring among the major clades found in the Caribbean is observed. Haplotypes from the Gulf of California form a monophyletic group sister to a lineage found in Venezuela. Phylogeographic patterns ofE. mayanain the Gulf of California differ from those observed inLigiaandTylosin this region. Nonetheless, several clades ofE. mayanahave similar distributions to clades of these two other isopod taxa. The high levels of cryptic diversity detected inE. mayanaalso pose challenges for the conservation of this isopod and its fragile environment, the sandy shores.

Source: Ecology and Evolution

DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2599

Authors: Luis A. Hurtado, Mariana Mateos, Shuang Liu

Institution: Texas A&M University

Language: English

Topic: Genetic diversity and population structure

Subfield: Genetics

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Life below water

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,570