1
|
Pfingstl T, Hiruta SF, Shimano S. Mitochondrial metagenomics reveal the independent colonization of the world's coasts by intertidal oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida, Ameronothroidea). Sci Rep 2024; 14:11634. [PMID: 38773202 PMCID: PMC11109099 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59423-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Oribatid mites are an ancient group that already roamed terrestrial ecosystems in the early and middle Devonian. The superfamily of Ameronothroidea, a supposedly monophyletic lineage, represents the only group of oribatid mites that has successfully invaded the marine coastal environment. By using mitogenome data and nucleic ribosomal RNA genes (18S, 5.8S, 28S), we show that Ameronothroidea are a paraphyletic assemblage and that the land-to-sea transition happened three times independently. Common ancestors of the tropical Fortuyniidae and Selenoribatidae were the first to colonize the coasts and molecular calibration of our phylogeny dates this event to a period in the Triassic and Jurassic era (225-146 mya), whereas present-day distribution indicates that this event might have happened early in this period during the Triassic, when the supercontinent Pangaea still existed. The cold temperate northern hemispheric Ameronothridae colonized the marine littoral later in the late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous and had an ancient distribution on Laurasian coasts. The third and final land-to-sea transition happened in the same geological period, but approx. 30 my later when ancestors of Podacaridae invaded coastal marine environments of the Gondwanan landmasses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Pfingstl
- Department of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria.
| | - Shimpei F Hiruta
- Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research, National Museum of Nature and Science, Amakubo 4-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0005, Japan
| | - Satoshi Shimano
- Science Research Center, Hosei University, Fujimi 2-17-1 Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-8160, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Pepato AR, Dos S Costa SG, Harvey MS, Klimov PB. One-way ticket to the blue: A large-scale, dated phylogeny revealed asymmetric land-to-water transitions in acariform mites (Acari: Acariformes). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2022; 177:107626. [PMID: 36096463 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Acariform mites are an ancient and megadiverse lineage that may have experienced a complex pattern of invasions into terrestrial and aquatic habitats. These among-realm transitions may relate to periods of turmoil in Earth's history or be simply results of uneven biodiversity patterns across habitats. Here, we inferred a dated, representative acariform phylogeny (five genes, 9,200 bp aligned, 367 terminals belonging to 150 ingroup plus 15 outgroup families, 23 fossil calibration points) which was used to infer transitions between marine/freshwater/terrestrial habitats. We detected four unambiguous transitions from terrestrial to freshwater habitats (Hydrozetes, Naiadacarus, Fusohericia, Afronothrus, Homocaligus); one from freshwater to marine (Pontarachnidae), and four from marine to brackish or freshwater transitions (all among Halacaridae: Acarothrix; Halacarellus petiti; Copidognathus sp.; clade Limnohalacarus + Soldanellonyx + Porohalacarus + Porolohmannella). One transition to the sea was inferred ambiguously with respect to the ancestor being either terrestrial or freshwater (Hyadesiidae), and another must be most carefully examined by adding potential related taxa (Selenoribatidae + Fortuyniidae). Finally, we inferred a single, remarkable transition from aquatic to terrestrial habitats involving early evolution of the large and ecologically diverse lineage: the ancestor of the Halacaridae + Parasitengona clade was probably freshwater given our dataset, thus making terrestrial Parasitengona secondarily terrestrial. Overall, our results suggested a strong asymmetry in environmental transitions: the majority occurred from terrestrial to aquatic habitats. This asymmetry is probably linked to mites' biological properties and uneven biodiversity patterns across habitats rather than Earth's geological history. Since the land holds more acariform diversity than water habitats, a shift from the former is more likely than from the latter. We inferred the following relationships: alicid endeostigmatid + eriophyoid (Alycidae, (Nanorchestidae, (Nematalycidae, Eriophyoidea))) being sister group to the remaining Acariformes: (proteonematalycid Endeostigmata, alicorhagiid Endeostigmata, Trombidiformes, Oribatida (including Astigmata)). Trombidiform relationships had several novel rearrangements: (i) traditional Eupodina lacked support for the inclusion of Bdelloidea; (ii) Teneriffidae, traditionally placed among Anystina, was consistently recovered in a clade including Heterostigmata in Eleutherengona; (iii) several lineages, such as Adamystidae, Paratydeidae, Caeculidae and Erythracaridae, were recovered in a large clade along other Anystina and Eleutherengona, suggesting single origins of several fundamental character states, such as the reduction of the cheliceral fixed digit and development of the palpal thumb-claw complex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Almir R Pepato
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Sistemática e Evolução de Ácaros Acariformes, Av. Antonio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte - MG ZIP: 31270-901, Brazil; Tyumen State University, X-BIO Institute, 10 Semakova Str., 625003 Tyumen, Russia.
| | - Samuel G Dos S Costa
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Sistemática e Evolução de Ácaros Acariformes, Av. Antonio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte - MG ZIP: 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Mark S Harvey
- Collections & Research, Western Australian Museum, Welshpool, Western Australia 6106, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Pavel B Klimov
- Purdue University, Lilly Hall of Life Sciences, G-226, 915 W State St, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States; Tyumen State University, X-BIO Institute, 10 Semakova Str., 625003 Tyumen, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Dinges ZM, Lively CM. Asymmetric density-dependent competition does not contribute to the maintenance of sex in a mixed population of sexual and asexual Potamopyrgus antipodarum. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:1012-1019. [PMID: 35647767 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Asexual reproduction is expected to have a twofold reproductive advantage over sexual reproduction, owing to the cost of producing males in sexual subpopulations. The persistence of sexual females, thus, requires an advantage to sexual reproduction, at least periodically. Here, we tested the hypothesis that asexual females are more sensitive to limited resources. Under this idea, fluctuations in the availability of resources (per capita) could periodically favour sexual females when resources become limited. We combined sexual and asexual freshwater snails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) together in nylon mesh enclosures at three different densities in an outdoor mesocosm. After 1 month, we counted the brood size of fertile female snails. We found that fecundity declined significantly with increasing density. However, sexual females did not produce more offspring than asexual females at any of the experimental densities. Our results, thus, suggest that the cost of sexual reproduction in P. antipodarum is not ameliorated by periods of intense resource competition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zoe M Dinges
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Curtis M Lively
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Using individual-based modeling to investigate whether fluctuating resources help to explain the prevalence of sexual reproduction in animal species. ECOL INFORM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2021.101499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
|
5
|
Pachl P, Uusitalo M, Scheu S, Schaefer I, Maraun M. Repeated convergent evolution of parthenogenesis in Acariformes (Acari). Ecol Evol 2021; 11:321-337. [PMID: 33437432 PMCID: PMC7790623 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The existence of old species-rich parthenogenetic taxa is a conundrum in evolutionary biology. Such taxa point to ancient parthenogenetic radiations resulting in morphologically distinct species. Ancient parthenogenetic taxa have been proposed to exist in bdelloid rotifers, darwinulid ostracods, and in several taxa of acariform mites (Acariformes, Acari), especially in oribatid mites (Oribatida, Acari). Here, we investigate the diversification of Acariformes and their ancestral mode of reproduction using 18S rRNA. Because parthenogenetic taxa tend to be more frequent in phylogenetically old taxa of Acariformes, we sequenced a wide range of members of this taxon, including early-derivative taxa of Prostigmata, Astigmata, Endeostigmata, and Oribatida. Ancestral character state reconstruction indicated that (a) Acariformes as well as Oribatida evolved from a sexual ancestor, (b) the primary mode of reproduction during evolution of Acariformes was sexual; however, species-rich parthenogenetic taxa radiated independently at least four times (in Brachychthonioidea (Oribatida), Enarthronota (Oribatida), and twice in Nothrina (Oribatida), (c) parthenogenesis additionally evolved frequently in species-poor taxa, for example, Tectocepheus, Oppiella, Rostrozetes, Limnozetes, and Atropacarus, and (d) sexual reproduction likely re-evolved at least three times from species-rich parthenogenetic clusters, in Crotonia (Nothrina), in Mesoplophora/Apoplophora (Mesoplophoridae, Enarthronota), and in Sphaerochthonius/Prototritia (Protoplophoridae, Enarthronota). We discuss possible reasons that favored the frequent diversification of parthenogenetic taxa including the continuous long-term availability of dead organic matter resources as well as generalist feeding of species as indicated by natural variations in stable isotope ratios.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Pachl
- JFB Institute of Zoology and AnthropologyUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Matti Uusitalo
- Zoological MuseumCentre for Biodiversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Stefan Scheu
- JFB Institute of Zoology and AnthropologyUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land UseUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Ina Schaefer
- JFB Institute of Zoology and AnthropologyUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Mark Maraun
- JFB Institute of Zoology and AnthropologyUniversity of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Abstract
Though mostly soil dwelling, oribatid mites are found in all kind of habitats, with several species exclusively living on trees. Using previously published DNA sequences and eco-morphological data available from the literature, we inferred the number of transitions between soil dwelling to a truly arboreal lifestyle in oribatid mites and the shape evolution of a particular morphological structure of a sense organ (bothridial seta (= sensillus) of a trichobothrium), the shape of which was previously reported to be associated with an arboreal lifestyle. Our data suggest that a truly arboreal lifestyle evolved several times independently in oribatid mites, but much less often than previously proposed in the past. Even though all truly arboreal species indeed seem to possess a capitate sensillus, this character is not exclusive for arboreal taxa. Nonetheless, since all truly arboreal species do have a capitate sensillus, this might be considered an important (pre-)adaptation to a life on trees. We further provide guidelines on how the term “arboreal” should be applied in future mite research and emphasize the importance of exact microhabitat characterization, as this will greatly facilitate comparisons across studies.
Collapse
|
7
|
Pfingstl T, Hiruta SF, Wagner M, Hagino W, Shimano S. First record of the family Ameronothridae (Acari: Oribatida) from Japan - new species, juvenile morphology, ecology and biogeographic remarks. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ACAROLOGY 2019; 45:315-327. [PMID: 31391659 PMCID: PMC6636892 DOI: 10.1080/01647954.2019.1629624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The Ameronothridae are recorded for the first time from Japanese coasts with the new species Ameronothrus yoichi sp. n. from Hokkaido. The report of this species represents the most southern occurrence of an Ameronothrus species in the Asian Pacific region. Ameronothrus yoichi sp. n. can be easily distinguished from its congeners by the conspicuously pusticulate body surface and the loss of dorsal companion setae d on all genua in the adult stage. Based on adult and juvenile morphology, a close relation to Ameronothrus maculatus and A. schneideri is suggested. Ameronothrus yoichi sp. n. is classified as a lichenivorous inhabitant of sediment-free rocky coastal substrates. Due to a lack of genetic sequence data of nearly all ameronothrid species a molecular genetic comparison is yet unfeasible, but a Bayesian inference tree based on the 18S rRNA gene shows a paraphyletic clustering of the ameronothrid A. yoichi sp. n. and Paraquanothrus grahami. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:5B772E2C-7D5E-4C86-9955-AB84A84C50DA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Pfingstl
- Department for Biodiversity and Evolution, Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Shimpei F. Hiruta
- Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Maximilian Wagner
- Department for Biodiversity and Evolution, Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Wataru Hagino
- Department of Bioresources Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Okinawa College, Nago-City, Japan
| | - Satoshi Shimano
- Department of Intercultural Communication, Science Research Center, Hosei University, Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Pfingstl T, Lienhard A, Shimano S, Yasin ZB, Shau‐Hwai AT, Jantarit S, Petcharad B. Systematics, genetics, and biogeography of intertidal mites (Acari, Oribatida) from the Andaman Sea and Strait of Malacca. J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2019; 57:91-112. [PMID: 30828135 PMCID: PMC6378605 DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This study demonstrates for the first time the presence of marine-associated mites in the Andaman Sea and Strait of Malacca and reveals a relatively high diversity of these taxa with six species from two different families: Selenoribatidae and Fortuyniidae. Indopacifica, a new genus of Selenoribatidae, is described from Thailand and Malaysia, with two new species, Indopacifica pantai n. sp. and Indopacifica parva n. sp. The genus is characterized by the unique combination of following characters: lacking lamellar ridges, incomplete dorsosejugal suture, fourteen pairs of notogastral setae, and presence of epimeral foveae. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on 18S ribosomal RNA sequences clearly confirms the distinctness of the new genus Indopacifica and places it close to the genus Rhizophobates. The lack of molecular genetic data of possible relatives impedes a clear assessment, and hence, we emphasize the need for further combined approaches using morphological and molecular genetic sequence data. All species show wide distribution areas within this geographic region suggesting that these taxa are good dispersers despite their minute size and wingless body. Molecular genetic data demonstrate recent gene flow between far distant populations of I. pantai n. sp. from the coasts of Thailand and two islands of Malaysia and hence confirm this assumption. The seasonally changing surface currents within this geographic area may favor hydrochorous dispersal and hence genetic exchange. Nevertheless, morphometric data show a slight trend to morphological divergence among the studied populations, whereas this variation is suggested to be a result of genetic drift but also of habitat differences in one population of Alismobates pseudoreticulatus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Satoshi Shimano
- Science Research CenterHosei UniversityFujimi, Chiyoda‐kuTokyoJapan
| | - Zulfigar Bin Yasin
- Centre For Marine and Coastal StudiesUniversiti Sains MalaysiaPenangMalaysia
| | | | - Sopark Jantarit
- Excellence Center for Biodiversity of Peninsular ThailandFaculty of SciencePrince of Songkla UniversityHat YaiSongkhlaThailand
| | - Booppa Petcharad
- Department of BiotechnologyFaculty of Science and TechnologyThammasat UniversityKhlong Luang District, Pathum ThaniThailand
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Pfingstl T, Lienhard A, Baumann J. New and cryptic species of intertidal mites (Acari, Oribatida) from the Western Caribbean - an integrative approach. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ACAROLOGY 2019; 45:10-25. [PMID: 31106301 PMCID: PMC6494279 DOI: 10.1080/01647954.2018.1532458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The present study highlights the distribution, systematics, morphology, genetics, and ecology of two newly discovered intertidal oribatid mites from the Western Caribbean. The fortuyniid Litoribates floridae sp. nov. represents a cryptic species as it looks nearly identical to L. bonairensis. The two species can be distinguished only by subtle morphological and morphometric characteristics, whereas cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene sequences clearly separate the two taxa. The absence of morphological divergence in these disjunct species may have resulted from stabilizing selection due to the extreme intertidal environment. Litoribates floridae sp. nov. is presently known from the Florida Keys, primarily in mangrove leaf litter. The selenoribatid Thalassozetes balboa sp. nov. can be distinguished from all known congeners by a unique cuticular notogastral pattern, the presence of only two pairs of adanal setae, and two ventral teeth on each leg claw. It is morphologically most similar to T. barbara from the Eastern Caribbean. Thalassozetes balboa sp. nov. was found in Panama and Florida. This species usually occurs on rocky substrate and feeds on the intertidal alga Bostrychia. Litoribates floridaehttp://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A4B830FC-A03F-405D-9DE4-DE4C39DB6211 Thalassozetes balboahttp://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EBF8C435-5C07-4B0E-8279-2101DC9E2CD4.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Julia Baumann
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Cross-Contamination Explains "Inter and Intraspecific Horizontal Genetic Transfers" between Asexual Bdelloid Rotifers. Curr Biol 2018; 28:2436-2444.e14. [PMID: 30017483 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.05.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
A few metazoan lineages are thought to have persisted for millions of years without sexual reproduction. If so, they would offer important clues to the evolutionary paradox of sex itself [1, 2]. Most "ancient asexuals" are subject to ongoing doubt because extant populations continue to invest in males [3-9]. However, males are famously unknown in bdelloid rotifers, a class of microscopic invertebrates comprising hundreds of species [10-12]. Bdelloid genomes have acquired an unusually high proportion of genes from non-metazoans via horizontal transfer [13-17]. This well-substantiated finding has invited speculation [13] that homologous horizontal transfer between bdelloid individuals also may occur, perhaps even "replacing" sex [14]. In 2016, Current Biology published an article claiming to supply evidence for this idea. Debortoli et al. [18] sampled rotifers from natural populations and sequenced one mitochondrial and four nuclear loci. Species assignments were incongruent among loci for several samples, which was interpreted as evidence of "interspecific horizontal genetic transfers." Here, we use sequencing chromatograms supplied by the authors to demonstrate that samples treated as individuals actually contained two or more highly divergent mitochondrial and ribosomal sequences, revealing cross-contamination with DNA from multiple animals of different species. Other chromatograms indicate contamination with DNA from conspecific animals, explaining genetic and genomic evidence for "intraspecific horizontal exchanges" reported in the same study. Given the clear evidence of contamination, the data and findings of Debortoli et al. [18] provide no reliable support for their conclusions that DNA is transferred horizontally between or within bdelloid species.
Collapse
|
11
|
Schäffer S, Stabentheiner E, Shimano S, Pfingstl T. Leaving the tropics: The successful colonization of cold temperate regions by Dolicheremaeus dorni (Acari, Oribatida). J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2018; 56:505-518. [PMID: 30395657 PMCID: PMC6049615 DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Species diversity is generally higher in the tropics compared to the temperate zones. The phenomenon that one species of an almost exclusively tropical living genus was able to adapt successfully to the cold northern regions is rather rare. However, the oribatid mite Dolicheremaeus dorni represents such a species and is in the focus of this study. While 180 Dolicheremaeus species are confined to the tropics and subtropics, only five species are known to occur in temperate climates and D. dorni represents the only species with a wider distribution in this climatic region. This species is distributed in Central and Southern Europe and was now recorded for the first time in Austria. A morphological and molecular genetic investigation of specimens from Austria, Poland and Croatia confirmed this distribution pattern and revealed specific geographic clades and haplotypes for each population and hence indicate low gene flow between populations. A further molecular genetic analysis of the 18S rRNA gene sequence of D. dorni confirmed its phylogenetic position within Carabodoidea. Based on record information, this species is associated with trees or tree habitats and seems to be rather a generalist than a specialist for a specific substrate (e.g., tree species) or food source.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Satoshi Shimano
- Science Research Center, Hosei University, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Lehmitz R, Decker P. The nuclear 28S gene fragment D3 as species marker in oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida) from German peatlands. EXPERIMENTAL & APPLIED ACAROLOGY 2017; 71:259-276. [PMID: 28405837 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-017-0126-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
To make oribatid mites an applicable tool in monitoring programs it is necessary to find a molecular species marker that allows distinct, rapid and easy species identification. In previous studies, the common barcoding sequence COI showed to be too variable to serve as species marker in oribatid mites. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the potential use of the D3 region of the nuclear 28S rDNA gene for species identification. Therefore, we generated a reference DNA library of 28S D3 to identify specimens of the Oribatida from Germany, with focus on species occurring in peatlands being one of the most endangered habitats in Europe. New DNA sequences were obtained from 325 individuals and 64 species (58 genera, 34 families). By adding 28S D3-sequences from GenBank we altogether analysed 385 sequences from 89 German species, 32 of them restricted to peatlands and further 42 occurring in peatlands occasionally, representing 46 and 33% of the oribatids in German peatlands, respectively. P-distances were measured between species within families as well as for intraspecific divergence. 28S D3 showed low intraspecific genetic p-distances between 0 and 0.5%, interspecific distances within families varied between 0 and 9.7%. Most species pairs within families were further separated by one to four indels in addition to substitutions. Altogether, 93% of all analysed species are clearly delineated by 28S D3. Our study emphasises that 28S D3 rDNA is a useful barcode for the identification of oribatid mite specimens and represents an important step in building-up a comprehensive barcode library to allow metabarcoding analyses of environmental peatland samples for Oribatida in Germany as well as in Central Europe.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ricarda Lehmitz
- Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, Am Museum 1, 02826, Görlitz, Germany.
| | - Peter Decker
- Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, Am Museum 1, 02826, Görlitz, Germany
| |
Collapse
|