Abstract
In the present chapter, we aimed to summarize the current knowledge of patterns and processes of speciation in the gastropod family Lymnaeidae. Using selected case studies, we evaluated biodiversity and speciation patterns at both large and small spatial scale. We outlined adaptations to extreme and isolated environments and examined the studies dealing with speciation processes in lymnaeid gastropods.
Despite being widespread globally, the family is not very speciose and species flocks or small-scale radiations are an absolute exception. The family obtained a nearly cosmopolitan but mainly Northern Hemispheric distribution, with both widespread and narrow-range taxa. Adaptation to special or extreme habitats illustrates the importance of ecology in lymnaeid speciation. Whereas the prevailing geographical mode is allopatry, with likely cases of parapatry, no evidence currently exists for sympatric speciation in Lymnaeidae. Niche conservatism seems to be pronounced in some lineages and supports the assumption that speciation by adapting to different selective regimes is a common phenomenon. Mechanisms involved in speciation include biotic interactions such as in host–parasite pairs, leading to co-evolution in various species.
Lymnaea stagnalis, and increasingly some species of Radix, serve as model systems in developmental biology and neurophysiology and are thus among the gastropods spearheaded for genomic and transcriptomic analyses, allowing for a genome-level perspective on various biological aspects. All these new developments in the “omics” era will, in the near future, improve our understanding of speciation mechanisms in lymnaeids and beyond.
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Albrecht, C., Stelbrink, B., Clewing, C. (2023). Patterns and Processes of Speciation in Lymnaeidae. In: Vinarski, M.V., Vázquez, A.A. (eds) The Lymnaeidae. Zoological Monographs, vol 7. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30292-3_8
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