Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of Japanese Soil-dwelling Mundochthonius Pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones: Chthoniidae)

Poster Presentation

Stable Isotope data of N & C

Raw data of stable isotopes of N and C of all species. Read the README-file for information on abbrevations

Genetic Diversity and Hybridisation between Native and Introduced Salmonidae Fishes in a Swedish Alpine Lake

Understanding the processes underlying diversification can aid in formulating appropriate conservation management plans that help maintain the evolutionary potential of taxa, particularly under human-induced activities and climate change. Here we assessed the microsatellite genetic diversity and structure of three salmonid species, two native (Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus and brown trout, Salmo trutta) and one introduced (brook charr, Salvelinus fontinalis), from an alpine lake in sub-arctic Sweden, Lake Ann. The genetic diversity of the three species was similar and sufficiently high from a conservation genetics perspective: corrected total heterozygosity, H'(T) = 0.54, 0.66, 0.60 and allelic richness, A(R) = 4.93, 5.53 and 5.26 for Arctic charr, brown trout and brook charr, respectively. There were indications of elevated inbreeding coefficients in brown trout (G(IS) = 0.144) and brook charr (G(IS) = 0.129) although sibling relationships were likely a confounding factor, as a high proportion of siblings were observed in all species within and among sampling locations. Overall genetic structure differed between species, Fst = 0.01, 0.02 and 0.04 in Arctic charr, brown trout and brook charr respectively, and there was differentiation at only a few specific locations. There was clear evidence of hybridisation between the native Arctic charr and the introduced brook charr, with 6% of individuals being hybrids, all of which were sampled in tributary streams. The ecological and evolutionary consequences of the observed hybridisation are priorities for further research and the conservation of the evolutionary potential of native salmonid species

AFLP scores for each species (csv-files)

These spreadsheets (csv-files) contain the raw peak height data of AFLPs as described in the text. The top rows of each file contain replicate data. Each column is a particular AFLP locus, with Megabace dye and size indicated

Results of the COLONY analysis of sibling relationships for Arctic charr.

<p>Results of the COLONY analysis of sibling relationships for Arctic charr.</p

Graphical display of the first two principal components of the principal components analysis (PCA) of the microsatellite dataset of all three species, brown trout (green triangles), brook charr (red squares) and Arctic charr (blue diamonds).

<p>Graphical display of the first two principal components of the principal components analysis (PCA) of the microsatellite dataset of all three species, brown trout (green triangles), brook charr (red squares) and Arctic charr (blue diamonds).</p

Results of the COLONY analysis of sibling relationships for brook charr.

<p>Results of the COLONY analysis of sibling relationships for brook charr.</p

Population genetic parameters for the fishes of Lake Ånn.

<p>Population genetic parameters for the fishes of Lake Ånn.</p

Islands of water in a sea of dry land: hydrological regime predicts genetic diversity and dispersal in a widespread fish from Australia's arid zone, the golden perch (Macquaria ambigua)

Rivers provide an excellent system to study interactions between patterns of biodiversity structure and ecological processes. In these environments, gene flow is restricted by the spatial hierarchy and temporal variation of connectivity within the drainage network. In the Australian arid zone, this variability is high and rivers often exist as isolated waterholes connected during unpredictable floods. These conditions cause boom/bust cycles in the population dynamics of taxa, but their influence on spatial genetic diversity is largely unknown. We used a landscape genetics approach to assess the effect of hydrological variability on gene flow, spatial population structure and genetic diversity in an Australian freshwater fish, Macquaria ambigua. Our analysis is based on microsatellite data of 590 samples from 26 locations across the species range. Despite temporal isolation of populations, the species showed surprisingly high rates of dispersal, with population genetic structure only evident among major drainage basins. Within drainages, hydrological variability was a strong predictor of genetic diversity, being positively correlated with spring-time flow volume. We propose that increases in flow volume during spring stimulate recruitment booms and dispersal, boosting population size and genetic diversity. Although it is uncertain how the hydrological regime in arid Australia may change under future climate scenarios, management strategies for arid-zone fishes should mitigate barriers to dispersal and alterations to the natural flow regime to maintain connectivity and the species’ evolutionary potential. This study contributes to our understanding of the influence of spatial and temporal heterogeneity on population and landscape processes.15 page(s