Open AccessThe role of geography and ecology in shaping repeated patterns of morphological and genetic differentiation between European minnows ( Phoxinus phoxinus ) from the Pyrenees and the Alps
Author(s) -
Collin Hélène,
Fumagalli Luca
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
biological journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.906
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1095-8312
pISSN - 0024-4066
DOI - 10.1111/bij.12611
Subject(s) - biology , isolation by distance , phoxinus , ecology , genetic divergence , local adaptation , genetic structure , population , geographical distance , gene flow , genetic distance , reproductive isolation , allopatric speciation , zoology , evolutionary biology , genetic variation , genetic diversity , cyprinidae , genetics , gene , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , demography , sociology
Neutral and selective processes can drive repeated patterns of evolution in different groups of populations experiencing similar ecological gradients. In this paper, we used a combination of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers, as well as geometric morphometrics, to investigate repeated patterns of morphological and genetic divergence of European minnows in two mountain ranges: the Pyrenees and the Alps. European minnows ( Phoxinus phoxinus ) are cyprinid fish inhabiting most freshwater bodies in Europe, including those in different mountain ranges that could act as major geographical barriers to gene flow. We explored patterns of P. phoxinus phenotypic and genetic diversification along a gradient of altitude common to the two mountain ranges, and tested for isolation by distance ( IBD ), isolation by environment ( IBE ) and isolation by adaptation ( IBA ). The results indicated that populations from the Pyrenees and the Alps belong to two well differentiated, reciprocally monophyletic mt DNA lineages. Substantial genetic differentiation due to geographical isolation within and between populations from the Pyrenees and the Alps was also found using rapidly evolving AFLP s markers (isolation by distance or IBD ), as well as morphological differences between mountain ranges. Also, morphology varied strongly with elevation and so did genetic differentiation to a lower extent. Despite moderate evidence for IBE and IBA , and therefore of repeated evolution, substantial population heterogeneity was found at the genetic level, suggesting that selection and population specific genetic drift act in concert to affect genetic divergence.