Publications by authors named "Alena A Shirokaya"
Article Synopsis
- The Viviparidae, or River Snails, are a diverse group of freshwater snails that originated in the Middle Jurassic period and are most diverse in Southeast Asia.
- Researchers used genetic data and fossil records to explore the evolution and distribution of River Snails globally, reconstructing a phylogeny that challenges current genus classifications.
- Findings revealed that many River Snails in still water (lentic environments) develop sculptured shells as an adaptive feature, with evidence of multiple independent evolutions of this trait in response to habitat changes.
Background: Ancient Lake Ohrid, located on the Albania-Macedonia border, is the most biodiverse freshwater lake in Europe. However, the processes that gave rise to its extraordinary endemic biodiversity, particularly in the species-rich gastropods, are still poorly understood. A suitable model taxon to study speciation processes in Lake Ohrid is the pulmonate snail genus Acroloxus, which comprises two morphologically distinct and ecologically (vertically) separated endemic species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLake Baikal is the deepest, oldest and most speciose ancient lake in the world. The lake is characterized by high levels of molluscan species richness and endemicity, including the limpet family Acroloxidae with 25 endemic species. Members of this group generally inhabit the littoral zone, but have been recently found in the abyssal zone at hydrothermal vents and oil-seeps.
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