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Occurrence of a Sphaerium species (Bivalvia: Sphaeriidae) of Nearctic origin in European Arctic Russia (Vaigach Island) indicates an ancient exchange between freshwater faunas across the Arctic

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Abstract

Although a recent series of studies has examined the phylogeography and diversity of Arctic invertebrates related to the glacial history on a pan-Arctic scale, large gaps remain in the knowledge on the origin, dispersal and biogeography of freshwater mollusks in the Russian Arctic. In samples from two lakes on Vaigach Island, Arctic European Russia, we found five specimens of an undescribed Sphaerium species (Bivalvia: Sphaeriidae), which is most closely related to Nearctic species (particularly Sphaerium rhomboideum), with the majority of known occurrences in the Great Lakes region of North America. This finding suggests a Nearctic rather than Palearctic origin of this lineage. Genetic evidence demonstrated the existence of freshwater refugia in the European Arctic during the last glacial maximum, and a Nearctic origin of the Vaigach lineage would suggest the existence of a phylogeographic element distinct from other bivalve molluscs of Northern and Alpine Europe origin inhabiting the European Arctic.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the work, comments and suggestions from the anonymous reviewers and Dr. Robert Hershler. This manuscript was substantially improved by their contributions. The authors express their gratitude to N.A. Zybriy, N.G. Skutte and O.N. Bespaliy for their assistance with material collection. We are also grateful to Ian Gardiner for permission to use his photographs of the Nearctic Sphaeriidae. This study was partially supported by grants from the President of Russia (grant no. MD-6465.2014.5) and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (projects nos. 14-04-98801 and 15-04-05638).

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  1. Institute of Ecological Problems of the North, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Arkhangelsk, 163000, Russian Federation

    Yulia Bespalaya, Ivan Bolotov, Olga Aksenova, Alexander Kondakov, Mikhail Gofarov & Inga Paltser

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  1. Yulia Bespalaya
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  2. Ivan Bolotov
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  3. Olga Aksenova
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  5. Mikhail Gofarov
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Correspondence to Yulia Bespalaya.

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Bespalaya, Y., Bolotov, I., Aksenova, O. et al. Occurrence of a Sphaerium species (Bivalvia: Sphaeriidae) of Nearctic origin in European Arctic Russia (Vaigach Island) indicates an ancient exchange between freshwater faunas across the Arctic. Polar Biol 38, 1545–1551 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1656-5

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