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Semi-permeable species boundaries in Iberian barbels (Barbus and Luciobarbus, Cyprinidae)

Overview of attention for article published in BMC Ecology and Evolution, June 2015
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Title
Semi-permeable species boundaries in Iberian barbels (Barbus and Luciobarbus, Cyprinidae)
Published in
BMC Ecology and Evolution, June 2015
DOI 10.1186/s12862-015-0392-3
Pubmed ID
Authors

Hugo F Gante, Ignacio Doadrio, Maria Judite Alves, Thomas E Dowling

Abstract

The evolution of species boundaries and the relative impact of selection and gene flow on genomic divergence are best studied in populations and species pairs exhibiting various levels of divergence along the speciation continuum. We studied species boundaries in Iberian barbels, Barbus and Luciobarbus, a system of populations and species spanning a wide degree of genetic relatedness, as well as geographic distribution and range overlap. We jointly analyze multiple types of molecular markers and morphological traits to gain a comprehensive perspective on the nature of species boundaries in these cyprinid fishes. Intraspecific molecular and morphological differentiation is visible among many populations. Genomes of all sympatric species studied are porous to gene flow, even if they are not sister species. Compared to their allopatric counterparts, sympatric representatives of different species share alleles and show an increase in all measures of nucleotide polymorphism (S, H d, K, π and θ). High molecular diversity is particularly striking in L. steindachneri from the Tejo and Guadiana rivers, which co-varies with other sympatric species. Interestingly, different nuclear markers introgress across species boundaries at various levels, with distinct impacts on population trees. As such, some loci exhibit limited introgression and population trees resemble the presumed species tree, while alleles at other loci introgress more freely and population trees reflect geographic affinities and interspecific gene flow. Additionally, extent of introgression decreases with increasing genetic divergence in hybridizing species pairs. We show that reproductive isolation in Iberian Barbus and Luciobarbus is not complete and species boundaries are semi-permeable to (some) gene flow, as different species (including non-sister) are exchanging genes in areas of sympatry. Our results support a speciation-with-gene-flow scenario with heterogeneous barriers to gene flow across the genome, strengthening with genetic divergence. This is consistent with observations coming from other systems and supports the notion that speciation is not instantaneous but a gradual process, during which different species are still able to exchange some genes, while selection prevents gene flow at other loci. We also provide evidence for a hybrid origin of a barbel ecotype, L. steindachneri, suggesting that ecology plays a key role in species coexistence and hybridization in Iberian barbels. This ecotype with intermediate, yet variable, molecular, morphological, trophic and ecological characteristics is the local product of introgressive hybridization of L. comizo with up to three different species (with L. bocagei in the Tejo, with L. microcephalus and L. sclateri in the Guadiana). In spite of the homogenizing effects of ongoing gene flow, species can still be discriminated using a combination of morphological and molecular markers. Iberian barbels are thus an ideal system for the study of species boundaries, since they span a wide range of genetic divergences, with diverse ecologies and degrees of sympatry.

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

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Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 24 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Researcher 7 29%
Student > Ph. D. Student 3 13%
Professor 2 8%
Student > Master 2 8%
Student > Bachelor 2 8%
Other 0 0%
Unknown 8 33%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 8 33%
Environmental Science 4 17%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 2 8%
Earth and Planetary Sciences 1 4%
Decision Sciences 1 4%
Other 0 0%
Unknown 8 33%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 2. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 08 February 2022.
All research outputs
#15,168,964
of 25,373,627 outputs
Outputs from BMC Ecology and Evolution
#2,554
of 3,714 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#135,655
of 278,755 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Ecology and Evolution
#48
of 72 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,373,627 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 38th percentile – i.e., 38% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 3,714 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 12.5. This one is in the 29th percentile – i.e., 29% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 278,755 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 49th percentile – i.e., 49% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 72 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 31st percentile – i.e., 31% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.