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Genetic population structure as indirect measure of dispersal ability in a Lake Tanganyika cichlid

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Abstract

Diversification and speciation processes are influenced by intrinsic (ecological specialization, dispersal) and extrinsic (habitat structure and instability) factors, but the effect of ecological characteristics on dispersal is difficult to assess. This study uses mitochondrial control region sequences to investigate the population structure and demographic history of the endemic Lake Tanganyika cichlid Neolamprologus caudopunctatus with a preference for the rock-sand interface along two stretches of continuous, rocky shoreline, and across a sandy bay representing a potential dispersal barrier. Populations along uninterrupted habitat were not differentiated; whereas, the sandy bay separated two reciprocally monophyletic clades. The split between the two clades between 170,000 and 260,000 years BP coincides with a period of rising water level following a major lowstand, and indicates that clades remained isolated throughout subsequent lake level fluctuations. Low long-term effective population sizes were inferred from modest genetic diversity estimates, and may be due to recent population expansions starting from small population sizes 45,000–60,000 years BP. Comparisons with available data from specialized rock-dwelling species of the␣same area suggest that habitat structure and lake level fluctuations determine phylogeographic patterns on large scales, while fine-scale population structure and demography are modulated by species-specific ecologies.

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Acknowledgements

We thank C. Kapasa, P. Ngalande, L. Makasa, R. Sinyinza, R. Shapola, D. Sinyinza, and the team at the Mpulungu Station of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Republic of Zambia as well as L. Mumba, G. Mutenda, and C. Katongo, from the University of Zambia in Lusaka for their cooperation during fieldwork. This study was financed by the Austrian Science Foundation (grants P17680 and P17380). N.D. and S.K. were further supported by the University of Graz. N.D. also received a DOC-FFORTE-fellowship (Women in research and technology), and S.K. a DOC-fellowship, both provided by the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria

    Stephan Koblmüller, Kristina Maria Sefc, Nina Duftner, Marko Warum & Christian Sturmbauer

  2. Bauer Center for Genomics Research, Harvard University, 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

    Nina Duftner

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  1. Stephan Koblmüller
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  2. Kristina Maria Sefc
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Correspondence to Christian Sturmbauer.

Appendix A

Appendix A

Haplotype numbers with according GenBank accession numbers, sampling localities and sample identifications.

Ht. Nr.

Acc. Nr.

Locality

Sample ID

1

DQ628768–DQ628787

Nakaku

2974, 2976, 2985, 2989, 2992, 3050,  3058, 3386

Tongwa

2899, 2900, 2916, 2922

Katukula

2870, 2872, 2883, 2885, 2892, 3374

Funda

3346, 3347

2

DQ628788

Nakaku

2988

3

DQ628789

Nakaku

2991

4

DQ628790

Nakaku

3049

5

DQ628791

Katukula

2880

6

DQ628792

Katukula

2886

7

DQ628793

Funda

3444

8

DQ628794–DQ628804

Nakaku

2987, 3052, 3056

Tongwa

2901, 2904, 2918

Katukula

2868, 2888, 2889, 3296

Katoto

3449

9

DQ628805

Tongwa

2903

10

DQ628806–DQ628830

Nakaku

2973, 2975, 2977, 2990, 3057, 3387

Tongwa

2895, 2898, 2902, 2906, 2907, 2908,  2911, 2913, 2914,  2915, 2917, 2921

Katukula

2869, 2871, 2879, 2882,  2887, 3298, 3299

11

DQ628831–DQ628832

Katukula

2874, 2881

12

DQ628833–DQ628838

Nakaku

3051, 3059, 3060

Tongwa

2893, 2905, 2919

13

DQ628839–DQ628841

Nakaku

3053

Tongwa

2909, 2912

14

DQ628842

Nakaku

3054

15

DQ628843

Nakaku

2972

16

DQ628844

Nakaku

3055

17

DQ628845

Tongwa

2897

18

DQ628846–DQ628851

Katukula

2865, 2866, 2867, 2877, 3372, 3373

19

DQ628852

Katukula

2873

20

DQ628853

Nakaku

2986

21

DQ628854

Mbita Island

3302

22

DQ628855–DQ628858

Wonzye

3164, 3168, 3185, 3393

23

DQ628859–DQ628879

Mbita Island

3085, 3091, 3092, 3100, 3102, 3103,  3105, 3108, 3112,  3119, 3300

Wonzye

3175, 3162, 3165, 3182, 3188,  3189, 3190,  3191, 3305, 3392

24

DQ628880

Mbita Island

3106

25

DQ628881

Mbita Island

3110

26

DQ628882–DQ628884

Mbita Island

3087

Wonzye

3163, 3184

27

DQ628885–DQ628900

Mbita Island

3089, 3101, 3107, 3389

Wonzye

3158, 3159, 3167, 3183, 3186, 3187, 3194,  3195, 3303, 3304,  3390, 3391

28

DQ628901

Wonzye

3161

29

DQ628902–DQ628903

Mbita Island

3084, 3301

30

DQ628904

Wonzye

3160

31

DQ628905–DQ628907

Mbita Island

3090, 3095, 3109

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Koblmüller, S., Sefc, K.M., Duftner, N. et al. Genetic population structure as indirect measure of dispersal ability in a Lake Tanganyika cichlid. Genetica 130, 121–131 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-006-0027-0

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