Phylogeography and Population Genetic Analyses in the Iberian Toothcarp (Aphanius iberus Valenciennes, 1846) at Different Time Scales

Secondary freshwater fish species inhabiting fluctuating and extreme environments are susceptible to changes in dispersion, effective population size, and genetic structure. The Iberian toothcarp Aphanius iberus is an endemic cyprinodontid of the Iberian Peninsula restricted to brackish water of salt marshes and coastal lagoons on the eastern Spanish Mediterranean coast. In this study, we analyzed mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) DNA and microsatellite variation to evaluate ways in which the processes of extinction, dispersal, and colonization of A. iberus across its geographic distribution have affected its population genetic structure over time and space. The A. iberus network reconstruction indicated subtle levels of phylogeographic structuring. This, combined with substantial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic diversity, suggests that Pleistocene glaciations had a lesser effect on the demographic structure of its populations than was the case for Iberian freshwater species with a similar distribution. Haplotype network, hierarchical analysis of molecular variance, and pairwise I broken vertical bar(ST) comparisons involving some Levantine samples showed a relatively high degree of mtDNA differentiation, which could be explained by historical isolation of the Villena Lagoon population. Conversely, significant genetic differentiation that follows an isolation-by-distance pattern, and a reduction in N-e though time was detected with microsatellites, suggesting extensive habitat fragmentation on the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula over the past hundreds of years. At a smaller geographical scale (Mar Menor Lagoon), habitat fragmentation, probably due to human activity, appears to have resulted in substantially reduced migration and increased genetic drift, as shown by expanded genetic differentiation of populations.

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Gonzalez E.G. Cunha C. Ghanavi H.R. Oliva-Paterna F.J. Torralva M. y Doadrio I. Phylogeography and Population Genetic Analyses in the Iberian Toothcarp (Aphanius iberus Valenciennes 1846) at Different Time Scales. American Genetic Association, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esx076

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Retrieved: 30 Oct 2025 10:29:03
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Resource type Article
Date of creation 2024-11-05
Date of last revision 2024-11-15
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Metadata identifier 5b7e780f-422c-5d71-a798-675f7c44e1ee
Metadata language Spanish
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High-value dataset category Earth observation and environment
ISO 19115 topic category biota
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Name of the dataset creator Gonzalez, E.G., Cunha, C., Ghanavi, H.R., Oliva-Paterna, F.J., Torralva, M. y Doadrio, I.
Name of the dataset editor American Genetic Association
Other identifier DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esx076
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Email of the dataset creator elenag@mncn.csic.es.
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