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Identification of echinoderms ( E chinodermata) from an anchialine cave in C ozumel I sland, M exico, using DNA barcodes
Author(s) -
BribiescaContreras Guadalupe,
SolísMarín Francisco A.,
LaguardaFigueras Alfredo,
ZaldívarRiverón Alejandro
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
molecular ecology resources
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.96
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1755-0998
pISSN - 1755-098X
DOI - 10.1111/1755-0998.12098
Subject(s) - biology , dna barcoding , echinoderm , cave , species complex , zoology , biodiversity , ecology , species richness , environmental dna , genetic divergence , phylogenetic tree , genetic diversity , biochemistry , population , demography , sociology , gene
The echinoderm species richness of the A erolito de P araiso anchialine cave, on C ozumel I sland, in the M exican C aribbean, is assessed on the basis of morphological and DNA barcoding data. We included specimens from this cave system and from different open sea areas, and employed two different approaches for species delineation based on DNA barcoding data: a 2% cox1 divergence and the general mixed Y ule‐coalescent ( GMYC ) approaches. We subsequently compared the results derived from these approaches with our morphospecies discrimination. A total of 188 cox1 sequences belonging to specimens of four echinoderm classes were examined. The 2% cox1 divergence and GMYC approaches recovered 78 and 70 putative species, respectively, 24 and 22 of which corresponded to specimens from the anchialine system. Of 26 echinoderm species identified in the cave system, seven appear to be endemic to it. Among these are C opidaster carvenicola S olís‐ M arín & L aguarda‐ F igueras, 2010, two morphologically distinctive, undescribed species belonging to A sterinides and O phionereis and four probably cryptic undescribed species originally assigned to A mphipholis squamata ( D elle C hiaje, 1839), A stropecten duplicatus G ray, 1840, C opidaster lymani ( AH C lark, 1948) and O phiothrix angulata ( S ay, 1825). Further research and protection of this particularly fragile ecosystem becomes urgent because construction of tourism developments is planned nearby.