Abstract
Antarctica has been isolated and progressively glaciated for over 30 million years, with only approximately 0.3 % of its area currently ice-free and capable of supporting terrestrial ecosystems. As a result, invertebrate populations have become isolated and fragmented, in some cases leading to speciation. Terrestrial invertebrate species currently found in Antarctica often show multi-million year, and even Gondwanan, heritage, with little evidence of recent colonisation. Mesobiotus is a globally distributed tardigrade genus. It has commonly been divided into two "groups", referred to as harmsworthi and furciger, with both groups currently considered cosmopolitan, with global reports including from both the Arctic and the Antarctic. However, some authors considered that Meb. furciger, as originally described, may represent an Antarctic-specific lineage. Using collections of tardigrades from across the Antarctic continent and publicly available sequences obtained from online databases, we use mitochondrial and nuclear ribosomal sequence data to clarify the relationships of Antarctic Mesobiotus species. Our analyses show that all Antarctic members belong to a single lineage, evolving separately from non-Antarctic representatives. Within this Antarctic lineage there are further deep divisions among geographic regions of the continent, consistent with the presence of a species complex. Based on our data confirming the deep divisions between this Antarctic lineage, which includes representatives of both groups, we recommend that the use of furciger and harmsworthi group terminology is now abandoned, as it leads to systematic and biogeographical confusion. (Bertolani et al., 2014; Itang et al., 2020; Kaczmarek et al., 2018; Kayastha et al., 2021; Mapalo et al., 2017, 2016; Roszkowska et al., 2018; Stec, 2019; Stec et al., 2018; Stec and Kristensen, 2017; Tumanov, 2020).
Original language | English |
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Article number | 107429 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |
Volume | 170 |
Early online date | 14 Feb 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 14 Feb 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors are extremely grateful to Tim Blakemore, Ashley Perrin, and Terri Souster for the collection of samples from the maritime Antarctic and to Alejandro Velasco Castrillón for his help with the continental samples. We also thank the Stevens Lab (South Australia Museum) for hosting KS during the analysis of the continental Antarctic samples collected under Australian Antarctic Division project 2355 and part funded through ARC SRIEAS grant SR200100005. We thank Dr Ł Michalczyk and two anonymous reviewers for their contributions and stimulating debate that has substantially improved the manuscript. Maritime Antarctic samples used in this study were collected using a permit for activities under Section 7 of the Antarctic Act 1994 (No. 17/2018) granted by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This study was made possible by a NERC GW4 PhD studentship to KS and additional funding through the Antarctic Science Bursary.
Funding Information:
The authors are extremely grateful to Tim Blakemore, Ashley Perrin, and Terri Souster for the collection of samples from the maritime Antarctic and to Alejandro Velasco Castrill?n for his help with the continental samples. We also thank the Stevens Lab (South Australia Museum) for hosting KS during the analysis of the continental Antarctic samples collected under Australian Antarctic Division project 2355 and part funded through ARC SRIEAS grant SR200100005. We thank Dr ? Michalczyk and two anonymous reviewers for their contributions and stimulating debate that has substantially improved the manuscript. Maritime Antarctic samples used in this study were collected using a permit for activities under Section 7 of the Antarctic Act 1994 (No. 17/2018) granted by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This study was made possible by a NERC GW4 PhD studentship to KS and additional funding through the Antarctic Science Bursary.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
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Alam, S. R. (Manager), Eccleston, P. E. (Other), Williams, D. A. G. (Manager) & Atack, S. H. (Other)
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