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Molecular diversity of G ermany's freshwater fishes and lampreys assessed by DNA barcoding
Author(s) -
Knebelsberger Thomas,
Dunz Andreas R.,
Neumann Dirk,
Geiger Matthias F.
Publication year - 2015
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 - 10.1111/1755-0998.12322
Subject(s) - biology , dna barcoding , barcode , interspecific competition , species complex , zoology , genetic diversity , notropis , phoxinus , taxonomy (biology) , minnow , evolutionary biology , ecology , phylogenetic tree , fishery , genetics , fish <actinopterygii> , gene , population , demography , sociology , computer science , operating system
This study represents the first comprehensive molecular assessment of freshwater fishes and lampreys from G ermany. We analysed COI sequences for almost 80% of the species mentioned in the current G erman R ed L ist. In total, 1056 DNA barcodes belonging to 92 species from all major drainages were used to (i) build a reliable DNA barcode reference library, (ii) test for phylogeographic patterns, (iii) check for the presence of barcode gaps between species and (iv) evaluate the performance of the barcode index number ( BIN ) system, available on the B arcode of L ife Data Systems. For over 78% of all analysed species, DNA barcodes are a reliable means for identification, indicated by the presence of barcode gaps. An overlap between intra‐ and interspecific genetic distances was present in 19 species, six of which belong to the genus C oregonus . The Neighbour‐Joining phenogram showed 60 nonoverlapping species clusters and three singleton species, which were related to 63 separate BIN numbers. Furthermore, B arbatula barbatula , L eucaspius delineatus , P hoxinus phoxinus and S qualius cephalus exhibited remarkable levels of cryptic diversity. In contrast, 11 clusters showed haplotype sharing, or low levels of divergence between species, hindering reliable identification. The analysis of our barcode library together with public data resulted in 89 BIN s, of which 56% showed taxonomic conflicts. Most of these conflicts were caused by the use of synonymies, inadequate taxonomy or misidentifications. Moreover, our study increased the number of potential alien species in G ermany from 14 to 21 and is therefore a valuable groundwork for further faunistic investigations.