Gong Shiping, Suwannapoom Chatmongkon, Le Minh, Nguyen Truong Quang, Ge Yan, Wei Yufeng, Gao Yangchun
College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 105 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou 510260, China.
iScience. 2023 Jul 10;26(8):107343. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107343. eCollection 2023 Aug 18.
The critically endangered big-headed turtle () is currently classified into three subspecies. However, the classification is still controversial and their evolutionary histories are still unclear. Here, multiple genetic analyses consistently revealed three phylogenetic groups with substantial genetic divergences and distinct demographic histories, suggesting three phylogenetic species (, , and Baise clade). Phylogeographical analyses revealed that the Red River plains and Guangxi basins are largely coincident with the boundaries between the three phylogenetic species, highlighting the key role of lowland areas in driving speciation in the big-headed turtle. The Baise clade is characterized by high-linkage disequilibrium but the lowest effective population size, indicating that the cryptic phylogenetic species is more vulnerable to human activities and environmental disturbance, and urgently needs more protection. Our findings provide fundamental insights into the taxonomy and scientific conservation of the family Platysternidae.
极度濒危的大头龟（）目前被划分为三个亚种。然而，该分类仍存在争议，其进化历史也尚不明确。在此，多项遗传分析一致揭示出三个具有显著遗传差异和独特种群历史的系统发育类群，表明存在三个系统发育种（、和百色支系）。系统地理学分析表明，红河平原和广西盆地在很大程度上与这三个系统发育种之间的边界重合，凸显了低地地区在推动大头龟物种形成中的关键作用。百色支系的特点是连锁不平衡程度高但有效种群数量最低，这表明这个隐秘的系统发育种更容易受到人类活动和环境干扰的影响，迫切需要更多保护。我们的研究结果为平胸龟科的分类学和科学保护提供了重要见解。
