Functional Zoology, Biology Department, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, MNCN-CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2023 Mar;180:107690. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107690. Epub 2022 Dec 28.
Freshwater ecosystems host a rich biodiversity, including freshwater crabs. The family Potamidae is a diverse group of freshwater crabs with a Palearctic and Oriental distribution. Specifically, the genus Potamon is found in the Middle East, Southern Europe, and Northern Africa. Potamon species are considered true freshwater crabs due to their total independence from the marine environment, which makes them idea organisms to study historical freshwater connectivity dynamics. In this study we aim to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships of the genus Potamon and discuss the historical freshwater connectivity in the Mediterranean region.
Here we use up to eleven genetic markers to reconstruct a robust phylogenetic tree of the group and use Bayesian methods to time-calibrate the tree. We further use historical biogeography methods implemented in a Bayesian framework to assess the ancestral distribution ranges of the group.
In this study we generate the most complete dataset for the group, covering practically the whole distribution range of the genus. We obtained a robust phylogenetic hypothesis and evaluated the times of divergence of the group. The result of the historical biogeography shows the evolution of historical distribution ranges of species of Potamon.
The Mediterranean Sea is placed in a key intersection for the exchange of fauna and flora. Here we present evidence for the potential of freshwater fauna exchange, through the Mediterranean Sea after a period of desiccation and the loss of contact with the ocean. The origin of Potamon genus is found to be in Western Asia, probably Eastern Iran.
淡水生态系统拥有丰富的生物多样性，包括淡水蟹。多指蟹科是一个多样化的淡水蟹群，分布于古北界和东洋界。具体来说，多指蟹属分布于中东、南欧和北非。由于它们完全独立于海洋环境，多指蟹属的物种被认为是真正的淡水蟹，这使它们成为研究历史上淡水连通性动态的理想生物。在本研究中，我们旨在阐明多指蟹属的系统发育关系，并讨论地中海地区的历史淡水连通性。
我们使用多达 11 个遗传标记来重建该群体的稳健系统发育树，并使用贝叶斯方法对其进行时间校准。我们进一步使用贝叶斯框架中的历史生物地理学方法来评估该群体的祖先分布范围。
在本研究中，我们生成了该群体最完整的数据集，几乎涵盖了该属的整个分布范围。我们获得了一个稳健的系统发育假说，并评估了该群体的分化时间。历史生物地理学的结果显示了 Potamon 物种的历史分布范围的演化。
地中海处于动物区系和植物区系交流的关键交叉点。在这里，我们提供了证据表明，在一段干燥期和与海洋失去联系之后，地中海可能是淡水动物交换的潜在途径。多指蟹属的起源被发现于西亚，可能是伊朗东部。
