A subterranean adaptive radiation of amphipods in Europe

Borko, Špela (author), Trontelj, Peter (author), Seehausen, Ole (author), Moškrič, Ajda (author), Fišer, Cene (author)

Adaptive radiations are bursts of evolutionary species diversification that have contributed to much of the species diversity on Earth. An exception is modern Europe, where descendants of ancient adaptive radiations went extinct, and extant adaptive radiations are small, recent and narrowly confined. However, not all legacy of old radiations has been lost. Subterranean environments, which are dark and food-deprived, yet buffered from climate change, have preserved ancient lineages. Here we provide evidence of an entirely subterranean adaptive radiation of the amphipod genus Niphargus, counting hundreds of species. Our modelling of lineage diversification and evolution of morphological and ecological traits using a time-calibrated multilocus phylogeny suggests a major adaptive radiation, comprised of multiple subordinate adaptive radiations. Their spatio-temporal origin coincides with the uplift of carbonate massifs in South-Eastern Europe 15 million years ago. Emerging subterranean environments likely provided unoccupied, predator-free space, constituting ecological opportunity, a key trigger of adaptive radiation. This discovery sheds new light on the biodiversity of Europe.

• Language: English
• Keywords: amphipod genus, biodiversity, biogeography, evolutionary ecology, amphipod, subterranean adaptive radiation, adaptive radiation, morphological traits, ecological traits, phylogenetics
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 12 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 12, art. 3688
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-144804
• UDC: 57
• ISSN on article: 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24023-w
• COBISS.SI-ID: 67491331
• Publication date in RUL: 13.03.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Nature communications
• Shortened title: Nat. commun.
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• ISSN: 2041-1723
• COBISS.SI-ID: 2315876

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: Niphargus, raki, jamske postranice, adaptivna radiacija, filogenija, filogenetika, nova vrsta