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The neglected side of speciation in ancient lakes: phylogeography of an inconspicuous mollusc taxon in lakes Ohrid and Prespa

  • SPECIATION IN ANCIENT LAKES
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Abstract

The morphologically remarkable endemic fauna within ancient lakes has received much attention in the literature. More inconspicuous taxa, however, often lack detailed molecular and morphometrical examination, although their proportion of the endemic fauna of an ancient lake must not be underestimated. Consequently, a better understanding of evolutionary patterns and processes within these lakes requires more knowledge about the often-neglected inconspicuous taxa. In the present study, we focus on the notoriously cryptic pea clam genus Pisidium (Bivalvia: Sphaeriidae). Though the genus is widely distributed, most endemic species are reported only from ancient lakes, including the European ancient sister lake system of Ohrid and Prespa on the Balkan Peninsula. Here we test for the first time hypotheses on the evolution of the endemic pea clams in this European biodiversity hotspot by molecular means. Combining a broad 16S phylogeny (comprising most European pea clam species), network analyses and morphometrical analyses, we found interesting biogeographical patterns and provide evidence for cryptic species in both lakes. Furthermore, we confirmed the proposed sister-species relationship of the endemics P. edlaueri in Lake Ohrid and P. maasseni in Lake Prespa, and we suggest scenarios of the endemic pea clam evolution within both lakes. The patterns of speciation found in the genus Pisidium are compared to patterns in morphologically distinct molluscan groups in lakes Ohrid und Prespa.

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to the colleagues of the Hydrobiological Institute Ohrid (HBI) for their hospitality, immense support, and for issuing the permits to collect in Lake Ohrid. G. Kostoski, B. Budzakoska, S. Trajanovski and S. Trajanovska provided valuable information and took part in field trips. D. Georgiev is gratefully acknowledged for supporting us with his local expertise and equipment. P. Glöer and V. Pešić as well as V. Fiorentino kindly provided material from Lake Skutari and from Caserta, Italy. S. Nachtigall is gratefully acknowledged for her help in the lab. We are thankful to two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments that significantly enhanced an earlier version of the manuscript. This work was supported in part by a research grant of The Malacological Society of London to RS. Last not least, the authors would like to thank J. G. J. Kuiper for supporting us with literature and for encouraging our work.

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  1. Department of Animal Ecology & Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32 IFZ, 35392, Giessen, Germany

    Roland Schultheiß, Christian Albrecht & Thomas Wilke

  2. Schillerstr. 17, 99198, Erfurt-Vieselbach, Germany

    Ulrich Bößneck

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  1. Roland Schultheiß
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  2. Christian Albrecht
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  3. Ulrich Bößneck
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Correspondence to Roland Schultheiß.

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Guest editors: T. Wilke, R. Väinölä & F. Riedel

Patterns and Processes of Speciation in Ancient Lakes: Proceedings of the Fourth Symposium on Speciation in Ancient Lakes, Berlin, Germany, September 4–8, 2006

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Schultheiß, R., Albrecht, C., Bößneck, U. et al. The neglected side of speciation in ancient lakes: phylogeography of an inconspicuous mollusc taxon in lakes Ohrid and Prespa. Hydrobiologia 615, 141–156 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-008-9553-3

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