AI Article Synopsis
- Cryptic diversity in species like Mediodactylus complicates biodiversity assessments and conservation, with past taxonomic changes highlighting hidden species.
- Recent research identified five distinct species within the M. kotschyi complex using advanced genetic techniques, revealing some are endemic and possibly threatened.
- A large-scale genomic analysis uncovered complex phylogenetic relationships and significant genetic differentiation among populations, suggesting the presence of even more undescribed species.
Article Abstract
Cryptic diversity poses a great obstacle in our attempts to assess the current biodiversity crisis and may hamper conservation efforts. The gekkonid genus Mediodactylus, a well-known case of hidden species and genetic diversity, has been taxonomically reclassified several times during the last decade. Focusing on the Mediterranean populations, a recent study within the M. kotschyi species complex using classic mtDNA/nuDNA markers suggested the existence of five distinct species, some being endemic and some possibly threatened, yet their relationships have not been fully resolved. Here, we generated genome-wide SNPs (using ddRADseq) and applied molecular species delimitation approaches and population genomic analyses to further disentangle these relationships. Τhe most extensive nuclear dataset, so far, encompassing 2,360 loci and ∼ 699,000 bp from across the genome of Mediodactylus gecko, enabled us to resolve previously obscure phylogenetic relationships among the five, recently elevated, Mediodactylus species and to support the hypothesis that the taxon includes several new, undescribed species. Population genomic analyses within each of the proposed species showed strong genetic structure and high levels of genetic differentiation among populations.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108091 | DOI Listing |
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