Biogeography and Speciation of Aquatic Organisms

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity and Functionality of Aquatic Ecosystems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2023) | Viewed by 6530

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A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Interests: algae; cyanobacteria; diversity; biogeography; taxonomy; ecology; metabarcoding; tropics
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Dear Colleagues,

Studies of biogeography and mechanisms of speciation of organisms have have attracted researchers for a long time. Research methodology and concepts have changed over time. To date, a large amount of data on the diversity of organisms has been accumulated, but it requires generalization. The use of new molecular genetic approaches allowed to reveal even greater diversity than previously thought, and also made it possible to more effectively and reliably solve problems in the study of speciation and the geographical distribution of organisms. But at the same time, most of the research is focused on a rather limited area, and many regions of the World have not yet been fully explored, especially hard-to-reach mountain systems, areas of the tropical region, the Arctic and Antarctic. Inclusion of the results of the study of such territories often allows one to significantly expand the understanding of the diversity and biogeography of individual groups of organisms and the overall biodiversity as a whole. For this special issue, high-quality research and review papers related to studies of geographical distribution, diversity, ecology, systematics, speciation mechanisms of aquatic organisms will be selected. Special attention will be paid to studies of insufficiently studied and hard-to-reach areas, like tropical and arctic areas.

Dr. Evgeniy S. Gusev
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • biogeography
  • biodiversity
  • speciation
  • invasive species
  • taxonomy and systematics
  • phylogenetics
  • metabarcoding

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 10739 KiB  
Article
The Diversity of Freshwater Stygobiotic Crustaceans in the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania Provides New Evidence for the Existence of an Ancient Glacial Refugium in the North Caucasus Region
by Ivan N. Marin and Dmitry M. Palatov
Water 2024, 16(9), 1212; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16091212 - 24 Apr 2024
Abstract
A review and partial revision of the diversity of freshwater stygobiotic crustaceans in the territory of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, in the North Caucasus, is presented here. Previously, two species of the genus Proasellus Dudich, 1925 (Isopoda, Asellidae), P. uallagirus Palatov & [...] Read more.
A review and partial revision of the diversity of freshwater stygobiotic crustaceans in the territory of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, in the North Caucasus, is presented here. Previously, two species of the genus Proasellus Dudich, 1925 (Isopoda, Asellidae), P. uallagirus Palatov & Sokolova, 2020 and P. irystonicus Palatov & Sokolova, 2020, and one species of the genus Niphargus Schiödte, 1849 (Amphipoda, Niphargidae), N. alanicus Marin & Palatov, 2021, were described from the hyporhean/underground habitats (hyporhea) in the area. However, further research using an integrative approach has revealed that only a single species of the genus Proasellus (P. uallagirus) is actually widely distributed in the hyporhean riverbed habitats in the area, while the diversity of the genus Niphargus is higher than previously known. Six more new Niphargus species— namely, N. ardonicus sp. nov., N. sadonicus sp. nov., N. fiagdonicus sp. nov., N. tschertschesovae sp. nov., N. osseticus sp. nov. and N. zeyensis sp. nov., were discovered from the various hypogean underground water sources (i.e., springs and seeps) and are described in this article. Their phylogenetic relationships with their congeners, as well as their ecology and known distribution, are discussed. Furthermore, molecular genetic analysis, with an interpretation of the estimated divergence time, suggests that the studied hyporheic/stygobiotic crustaceans started to diverge from related European and Balkan sister species during the Late Miocene, approximately 8–5.8 Mya, with the reduction in the Paratethys and the uplifting of the Caucasus Mountains. Local speciation was led by local geological processes and karst fragmentation during the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene periods, starting around 5.3 Mya. The obtained data suggest that the mountainous area of the North Ossetia–Alania could be considered as a post-Pliocene glacial refugium for subterranean and stygobiotic fauna—the first known for the North Caucasus region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biogeography and Speciation of Aquatic Organisms)
48 pages, 9653 KiB  
Article
An Annotated Checklist of the Main Representatives of Meiobenthos from Inland Water Bodies of Central and Southern Vietnam—II—Annelid Worms (Oligochaeta and Aeolosomatidae)
by Vladimir Gusakov, Tran Duc Dien, Hoan Quoc Tran, Nguyen Thi Hai Thanh, Phan Trong Huan, Vo Thi Ha and Cu Nguyen Dinh
Water 2023, 15(12), 2273; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15122273 - 17 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1376
Abstract
This work continues a series of publications on the diversity of the main groups of invertebrates found through the investigation of meiobenthic communities in various inland waterbodies in central and southern Vietnam. Here, a checklist of oligochaetes and aeolosomatids (the annelid worms) discovered [...] Read more.
This work continues a series of publications on the diversity of the main groups of invertebrates found through the investigation of meiobenthic communities in various inland waterbodies in central and southern Vietnam. Here, a checklist of oligochaetes and aeolosomatids (the annelid worms) discovered for the period 2010–2021 is presented, as well as data on the structure and abundance of their populations found in the country, ecology, local and global distribution, and, where necessary, taxonomic, morphological and other comments. In total, 71 representatives of the species and supra–species ranks from 3 families and 17 genera are listed. In total, 39 representatives were identified to the species level. During the present research, 2 species new to science were discovered and described in previously published works. This paper reports 9 more forms that need further study and may belong to still undescribed species. In addition to the new and still-unidentified species, the checklist reports about 30 more members of species and supra–species ranks that were recorded in Vietnam for the first time. Based on new and previously published data, the currently known diversity of aquatic oligochaetes and aeolosomatids in Vietnam is estimated at approximately 100–113 and 8–9 representatives, respectively. It is shown that members of the family Enchytraeidae remain practically unexplored in the waterbodies of the region. The subfamily Tubificinae and the family Aeolosomatidae also continue to be relatively poorly studied here at the species level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biogeography and Speciation of Aquatic Organisms)
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15 pages, 3539 KiB  
Article
Two New Species, Mallomonas baicalensis sp. nov. and M. grachevii sp. nov. (Synurales Chrysophyceae), Found under the Ice of Lake Baikal
by Anna Bessudova, Alena Firsova, Diana Hilkhanova, Mikhail Makarov, Maria Sakirko, Maria Bashenkhaeva, Igor Khanaev, Yulia Zakharova and Yelena Likhoshway
Water 2023, 15(12), 2250; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15122250 - 15 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1041
Abstract
Two new species of silica-scaled chrysophytes (order Synurales) from the genus Mallomonas and sections Striatae Mallomonas baicalensis sp. nov. and M. grachevii sp. nov. found at the bottom surface of the ice of Lake Baikal, with a structure of siliceous scales, are described [...] Read more.
Two new species of silica-scaled chrysophytes (order Synurales) from the genus Mallomonas and sections Striatae Mallomonas baicalensis sp. nov. and M. grachevii sp. nov. found at the bottom surface of the ice of Lake Baikal, with a structure of siliceous scales, are described using electron microscopy. The main and unique distinctive feature of M. baicalensis is its dome with a long spine and the slightly asymmetrical shape of its scales, regardless of their position on the cell. We could not find the bristles, and if there are spines on the dome, we can assume that they may be missing. The main distinguishing feature of M. grachevii is the presence of a secondary layer on the shield except at the angle of the V-rib, in which an area without the secondary layer, a “window”, is present with numerous pores, and the first transverse rib closest to the dome is thickened. Among the Mallomonas species from the section Striatae, only M. siveri and M. baicalensis have a group of rimmed pores in the corner of the V-rib. As a result of our research, the number of Mallomonas species of the section Striatae found in Lake Baikal has increased to eight, of which, in addition to the new species, only one species is widespread, and the rest are rare, previously foundin oligotrophic/mountain water bodies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biogeography and Speciation of Aquatic Organisms)
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15 pages, 1345 KiB  
Article
Prediction of Current and Future Suitable Habitats for Three Invasive Freshwater Fish Species in Europe
by Oleg Artaev
Water 2023, 15(11), 2091; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15112091 - 31 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1527
Abstract
Climate change can have a significant impact on the Earth’s ecosystems. Invasive species will respond to climate change, and their responses will have ecological and economic implications. Habitat suitability models (HSMs) are some of the most important tools currently available for assessing the [...] Read more.
Climate change can have a significant impact on the Earth’s ecosystems. Invasive species will respond to climate change, and their responses will have ecological and economic implications. Habitat suitability models (HSMs) are some of the most important tools currently available for assessing the potential impacts of climate change on species. The projections of a model of suitable conditions for three invasive fish species in Europe, Lepomis gibbosus, Perccottus glenii and Pseudorasbora parva, built using Maxent and based on the occurrence throughout the range (native and invasive), on the current climate of Europe and on the forecast climate data for the 2050s and 2070s in the SSP2 and SSP5 scenarios are presented herein. For Lepomis gibbosus and Pseudorasbora parva, climate change will lead to a significant expansion of their zones, with suitable conditions to the north and east, while the change in suitability in their existing ranges will be moderate. For Perccottus glenii, the zone with suitable conditions will shift northward, with a gradual deterioration in the southern and central parts of its current range and an improvement in the northern part. Thus, at present and until the 2070s, Lepomis gibbosus and Pseudorasbora parva can be considered potentially dangerous invasive species in most parts of Europe, while Perccottus glenii can be considered as such only in the northern part of Europe. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biogeography and Speciation of Aquatic Organisms)
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20 pages, 4700 KiB  
Article
Comparison of the Efficiency of Single-Locus Species Delimitation Methods: A Case Study of a Single Lake Fish Population in Comparison against the Barcodes from International Databases
by Dmitry P. Karabanov, Alexey A. Kotov, Elena A. Borovikova, Yulia V. Kodukhova and Xiaowei Zhang
Water 2023, 15(10), 1851; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15101851 - 12 May 2023
Viewed by 1986
Abstract
To date, a rather large set of both mathematical theories for species delimitation, based on single-locus genetic data, and their implementations as software products, has been accumulated. Comparison of the efficiencies of different delineation methods in the task of accumulating and analyzing data [...] Read more.
To date, a rather large set of both mathematical theories for species delimitation, based on single-locus genetic data, and their implementations as software products, has been accumulated. Comparison of the efficiencies of different delineation methods in the task of accumulating and analyzing data with reference to different taxa in different regions, is vital. The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of fifteen single-locus species delimitation methods using the example of a fish species found in a single lake in European Russia (Lake Plescheyevo) with reference to other sequences of revealed taxa deposited in international databases. We analyzed 186 original COI sequences belonging to 24 haplotypes, and 101 other sequences previously deposited in GenBank and BOLD. Comparison of all 15 alternative taxonomies demonstrated that all methods adequately separate only the genera, while the number of delimited mOTUs differed from 16 (locMin) to 43 (HwM/CoMa). We can assume that the effectiveness of each method is correlated with the number of matches based on Ctax and MatchRatio criteria. The most comparable results were provided by bGMYC, mPTP, STACEY, KoT and ASAP and the most synchronous results were obtained from bGMYC, mPTP, STACEY and ASAP. We believe that these results are maximally realistic in the number of revealed mOTUs. A high genetic diversity, resulting in the existence of several mOTUs and phylogenetic lineages within many species, demonstrates the usefulness of the “polymorphic species” concept, which does not underestimate species richness and does not prevent the rational use and protection of biodiversity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biogeography and Speciation of Aquatic Organisms)
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