Biogeographic history and high-elevation adaptations inferred from the mitochondrial genome of Glyptosternoid fishes (Sisoridae, Siluriformes) from the southeastern Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

BackgroundThe distribution of the Chinese Glyptosternoid catfish is limited to the rivers of the Tibetan Plateau and peripheral regions, especially the drainage areas of southeastern Tibet. Therefore, Glyptosternoid fishes are ideal for reconstructing the geological history of the southeastern Tibet drainage patterns and mitochondrial genetic adaptions to high elevations.ResultsOur phylogenetic results support the monophyly of the Sisoridae and the Glyptosternoid fishes. The reconstructed ancestral geographical distribution suggests that the ancestral Glyptosternoids was widely distributed throughout the Brahmaputra drainage in the eastern Himalayas and Tibetan area during the Late Miocene (c. 5.5 Ma). We found that the Glyptosternoid fishes lineage had a higher ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions than those found in non-Glyptosternoids. In addition, ωpss was estimated to be 10.73, which is significantly higher than 1 (p-value 0.0002), in COX1, which indicates positive selection in the common ancestral branch of Glyptosternoid fishes in China. We also found other signatures of positive selection in the branch of specialized species. These results imply mitochondrial genetic adaptation to high elevations in the Glyptosternoids.ConclusionsWe reconstructed a possible scenario for the southeastern Tibetan drainage patterns based on the adaptive geographical distribution of the Chinese Glyptosternoids in this drainage. The Glyptosternoids may have experienced accelerated evolutionary rates in mitochondrial genes that were driven by positive selection to better adapt to the high-elevation environment of the Tibetan Plateau.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0516-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Glyptothorax macromaculatus Provides a Well-Resolved Molecular Phylogeny of the Chinese Sisorid Catfishes

“…These conflicting phylogenies were weakly supported, possibly resulting from the use of inadequate genetic information. Recently, a well-supported molecular phylogeny of the Sisoridae, based on the complete mitochondrial genomes of a few sisorid species, has become available [ 9 , 10 ]. However, a robust phylogeny including all 12 genera of the Chinese sisorid catfishes remains unavailable.…”

Pareuchiloglanis hupingshanensis, a new species of the glyptosternine catfish (Siluriformes: Sisoridae) from the middle Yangtze River, China

“…In addition, an endemic blind stone loach, Triptophysa xiangxiensis Yang Yuan & Liao, occurs in the adjacent drainage, upper Youshui River, another tributary of Lake Dongting . The schizothoracin, Triplophysa and glyptosternoid fishes are typically associated with the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau (Hora & Silas 1952a;Ma et al 2015). These new records represent the easternmost extent of the schizothoracine and glyptosternoid species distributions.…”

Significant association of SNP polymorphism in the tilapiaenhancer of polycomb homolog 1gene with salt tolerance

“…Previous studies have reported on the mechanisms of osmoregulation acclimation or habitat changes in fish, such as Salmonids (Boeuf, ; Folmar Lc, ), green sturgeon (Allen, Cech, & Kultz, ), European eels (Kalujnaia et al., ; Tseng & Hwang, ), cichlid fish (Febry, ; Whitehead, ; Xia et al., ) and also in mammals, e.g., the riverine odontocetes (Caballero, Duchene, Garavito, Slikas, & Baker, ), the killer whales (Orcinus orca) (Foote et al., ). Some genes were reported to associate with osmoregulation acclimation in fish, such as the COX1 of Glyptosternoid fish in China (Ma, Kang, Chen, Zhou, & He, ) and NADH Dehydrogenase genes and cytochrome b of the schizothoracine fish (Cyprinidae) (Li et al., ). In tilapia, some osmoregulation associated genes have been identified, such as transferrin gene, β ‐Hemoglobin , Ca2+transporting plasma membrane ATPase , pro‐opiomelanocortin, beta‐actin (Rengmark & Lingaas, ), prolactin (Streelman & Kocher, ).…”