Background: The northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) presents a high number of plateau loach species. As one of the three major groups of fishes distributed on the QTP, plateau loach has high ecological value. However, the taxonomy and systematics of these fish are still controversial, and a large number of new species have been reported. The reason for this phenomenon is that the degree of morphological variation is low, the phylogenetic information provided by morphological and anatomical features used for species identification is relatively poor, and many cryptic species are observed. Based on the high-density sampling points from the biodiversity hotspots surveyed, this study aims to evaluate the biodiversity of plateau loach in the northeastern part of the QTP and reveal the hidden diversity by comparing morphological species with molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs). Results: After careful identification and comparison of the morphology and DNA barcoding of 1,630 specimens, 22 species were identified, with 20 considered valid local species and two identified as new species that had not been previously described. Based on the combination of morphological and molecular methods, a total of 24 native species were found, two of which were cryptic species: Triplophysa robusta sp1 and Triplophysa minxianensis sp1. Fourteen of the 24 species form clusters of barcodes that allow them to be reliably identified. The remaining cases involved 10 closely related species, including rapidly differentiated species and species that seemed to have experienced incomplete lineage sorting or showed introgressions.Conclusions: The results highlight the need to combine traditional taxonomies with molecular methods to correctly identify species, especially closely related species, such as the plateau loach. This study provides a basis for protecting the biodiversity of plateau loach.
Background: The northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is one of the areas where the number of species of plateau loach is the largest. As one of the three major groups of fishes distributed on the QTP, plateau loach have very important ecological value. However, their taxonomy and systematics are still controversial, and a large number of new species have been reported. The reason for this phenomenon is that the degree of morphological variation is low, the phylogenetic information provided by morphological and anatomical features used for species identification is relatively poor, and there are many cryptic species. Based on the high-density sampling points from the biodiversity hotspots surveyed, this study aims to evaluate the taxonomic characteristics of the plateau loach by means of morphology, DNA barcoding and multiple species demarcation methods to accurately describe species and allocate taxonomic units to unknown specimens. Results: After careful identification and comparison of the morphology and DNA barcoding of 1,630 specimens, 22 species were identified, 20 of which were considered valid local species and two of which were new species that had not been described. Based on the combination of morphological and molecular methods, a total of 24 native species have been found, two of which are cryptic species: Triplophysa robusta sp1 and Triplophysa minxianensis sp1. Fourteen of the 24 species form clusters of barcodes, which allow them to be reliably identified. The remaining cases involved 10 closely related species, some of which were rapidly differentiated, had a disputed taxonomic status, or showed introgressions.Conclusions: The results highlight the need to combine traditional taxonomies with molecular methods to correctly identify species, especially in closely related species such as the plateau loach. This study provides a basis for protecting the biodiversity of plateau loach.
Background: The northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is one of the areas where the number of species of plateau loach is the largest. As one of the three major groups of fishes distributed on the QTP, plateau loach have very important ecological value. However, their taxonomy and systematics are still controversial, and a large number of new species have been reported. The reason for this phenomenon is that the degree of morphological variation is low, the phylogenetic information provided by morphological and anatomical features used for species identification is relatively poor, and there are many cryptic species. Based on the high-density sampling points from the biodiversity hotspots surveyed, this study aims to evaluate the biodiversity of plateau loach in the northeastern of QTP and reveal the hidden diversity by comparing morphologic species with molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs). Results: After careful identification and comparison of the morphology and DNA barcoding of 1,630 specimens, 22 species were identified, 20 of which were considered valid local species and two of which were new species that had not been described. Based on the combination of morphological and molecular methods, a total of 24 native species have been found, two of which are cryptic species: Triplophysa robusta sp1 and Triplophysa minxianensis sp1. Fourteen of the 24 species form clusters of barcodes, which allow them to be reliably identified. The remaining cases involved 10 closely related species, some of which were rapidly differentiated, seemed to have experienced incomplete lineage sorting, or showed introgressions.Conclusions: The results highlight the need to combine traditional taxonomies with molecular methods to correctly identify species, especially in closely related species such as the plateau loach. This study provides a basis for protecting the biodiversity of plateau loach.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.