Comparative phylogeography of montane aquatic insects: re-evaluating hypotheses of Pleistocene refugia and persistence for cold-tolerant aquatic insects
Project number: HA3431/2-1
Project description
Recent studies have shown that aquatic species often exhibit different phylogeographic patterns than terrestrial species, reflecting their very different life histories and varied responses to past climate change. In this study, we will examine the genetic population structure and phylogeography of four selected species of aquatic insects: Arcynopteryx compacta (stonefly), Chaetopterygopsis maclachlani, Drusus discolor, Hydropsyche tenuis (all caddisflies). These model species represent the most common distribution patterns among montane aquatic insects in Europe. They are all restricted to mountain ranges with peaks of higher elevations, but vary in both their biocoenotic and geographical ranges, and may represent glacial relicts, postglacial colonisers or persistent, cold-tolerant species. By examining mitochondrial sequence and nuclear microsatellite data of these model species across their entire distribution ranges in Europe we will infer and compare their population histories. Our comparative approach will allow us to draw conclusions on the generality of recently proposed hypotheses of Pleistocene persistence of cold-tolerant aquatic species and will also serve as a baseline to predict how these and similar species will respond to future climate change.
Our team
Dr. Peter Haase, senior scientist and head of Department Limnology and Conservation at Research Institute Senckenberg.
Dr. Steffen Pauls, Research associate, Department Limnology and Conservation at Research Institute Senckenberg.
Dipl.-Biol. Stephanie Lehrian, PhD student; paid through fellowship from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes; field work, molecular laboratory work and data analysis for H. tenuis and C. maclachlani.
Dipl.-Biol. Kathrin Theissinger, PhD student; paid through fellowship from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes; field work, molecular laboratory work and data analysis for A. compacta.
Cooperations
Prof. Dr. Peter Zwick, Former Head of Limnological River Station Schlitz of the Max Planck Institute for Limnology.
Dr. Kevin A. Feldheim, Pritzker Laboratory for Molecular Systematics and Evolution at the Field Museum in Chicago, USA (FM-PL).
Dr. Wolfram Graf, Research associate, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
Prof. Dr. Hans Malicky, Sonnengasse 13, Lunz am See, Austria.
Prof. Dr. Regis Cereghino, Professor at Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
Dr. Valentina Teslenko, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia.
Dr. Boris Kondratieff, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
Dr. Richard Baumann, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
Dr. Pavel Chvojka, National Museum, Praha, Czech Republic.
Mr. Michel Sartori, Directeur Musée cantonal de zoologie, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Dipl. Biol. Mathias Hohmann, Zerbst, Germany.
Dipl.-Biol. Ralf Brettfeld, Bockstadter Mühle/Werra, Germany.
Dipl.-Biol. Ralf Küttner, Limbach-Oberfrohna, Germany.
Dipl.-Biol. Miklos Balint, Universitatea Babes-Bolyai, Cluj, Romania.
Dr. Lujza Uvjarosi, Universitatea Babes-Bolyai, Cluj, Romania
Prof. Dr. Jörg Oehlmann, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Prof. Dr. Alfred Seitz, Johannes Gutenberg Universität, Mainz, Germany.
Dipl. Biol. Pascal Stucki, Aquabug, St-Blaise, Switzerland.
Prof. Dr. Stanislaw Czachorowski, Uniwersytet Warminsko-Mazurski, Poland.
Prof. Dr. Bronislaw Szczesny, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland.
Prof. Dr. Henri Tachet, France.
Publications
Preliminary results of the phylogeography of the montane Trichoptera H. tenuis, Lehrian, S., Pauls, S. and Haase, P. SIEEC 20, Cluj Romania, (presentation).
Vergleichende Populationsstruktur der montanen Köcherfliegen Hydropsyche tenuis und Drusus discolor, Lehrian, S., Pauls, S. U. and Haase P. Tagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft fuer Limnologie in Muenster, 24.-28. September 2007 (presentation).
Preliminary comparison of the population structure of the two montane Trichoptera H. tenuis and D. discolor, Lehrian, S., Pauls, S. U. and Haase P. International Symposium on phylogeography and conservation of postglacial relicts in Luxemburg, 18.-20. October 2007 (poster).