Multiple transitions between realms shape relict lineages of Proteus cave salamanders

Recknagel, Hans (avtor), Zakšek, Valerija (avtor), Delić, Teo (avtor), Gorički, Špela (avtor), Trontelj, Peter (avtor)

In comparison to biodiversity on Earth's surface, subterranean biodiversity has largely remained concealed. The olm (Proteus anguinus) is one of the most enigmatic extant cave inhabitants, and until now little was known regarding its genetic structure and evolutionary history. Olms inhabit subterranean waters throughout the Dinaric Karst of the western Balkans, with a seemingly uniform phenotypic appearance of cave-specialized traits: an elongate body, snout and limbs, degenerated eyes and loss of pigmentation (“white olm”). Only a single small region in southeastern Slovenia harbours olms with a phenotype typical of surface animals: pigmented skin, eyes, a blunt snout and short limbs (“black olm”). We used a combination of mitochondrial DNA and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism data to investigate the molecular diversity, evolutionary history and biogeography of olms along the Dinaric Karst. We found nine deeply divergent species-level lineages that separated between 17 and 4 million years ago, while molecular diversity within lineages was low. We detected no signal of recent admixture between lineages and only limited historical gene flow. Biogeographically, the contemporaneous distribution of lineages mostly mirrors hydrologically separated subterranean environments, while the historical separation of olm lineages follows microtectonic and climatic changes in the area. The reconstructed phylogeny suggests at least four independent transitions to the cave phenotype. Two of the species-level lineages have miniscule ranges and may represent Europe's rarest amphibians. Their rarity and the decline in other lineages call for protection of their subterranean habitats.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: diversity, evolutionary transitions, olm, phylogeography, Proteus anguinus, subterranean environments
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: BF - Biotehniška fakulteta
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Leto izida: 2024
• Št. strani: 16 str.
• Številčenje: Vol. 33, iss. 8, art. e16868
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-153190
• UDK: 57
• ISSN pri članku: 1365-294X
• DOI: 10.1111/mec.16868
• COBISS.SI-ID: 149840387
• Datum objave v RUL: 20.12.2023

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Molecular ecology
• Skrajšan naslov: Mol. ecol.
• Založnik: Wiley
• ISSN: 1365-294X
• COBISS.SI-ID: 22959833

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva-Nekomercialno-Brez predelav 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: Najbolj omejujoča licenca Creative Commons. Uporabniki lahko prenesejo in delijo delo v nekomercialne namene in ga ne smejo uporabiti za nobene druge namene.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: raznolikost, evolucijski prehodi, človeška ribica, filogeografija