Diversity patterns and biogeography of Diaptomidae (Copepoda, Calanoida) in the Western Palearctic

Abstract

Diaptomid copepods are an important component of biodiversity in inland aquatic ecosystems worldwide but to date little is known about the historical and ecological factors that determined their current distribution. In the present paper, a critical review of the available literature on diaptomid species distribution in the Western Palearctic was performed, and a biogeographical analysis was carried out on the roles that spatial, current environmental, and historical (paleoclimatic) factors played on their actual distribution in this large area. The results show a clear pattern of colonization which is only partially overlapping what has been recently proposed for other terrestrial and aquatic taxa. Disentangling beta diversity into its turnover and nestedness components, we hypothesized a complex post-glacial pattern of recolonization of the higher latitudes, encompassing the importance of extra-Mediterranean refugia in the West (due to mountain chains which represent effective barriers for recolonization coming from the Italian and Iberian peninsulas) and a more typical pattern of postglacial recolonization from southern refugia in the East, where mountain chains are north-south oriented and therefore less effective as barriers.

On the non-malacostracan crustaceans (Crustacea: Branchiopoda, Copepoda, Ostracoda) from the inland waters of Fthiotida (Greece)

“…serbicus collected in November 2017 in Limni Mourouza (GR173) and Limni Mourouzos (GR174) are available. This taxon is morphologically close to Diaptomus serbicus, a species reported from the Balkans to Italy (Kiefer 1978, Marrone et al 2017, which in Greece is reported to occur only in the island of Kerkyra (Stephanides 1948, Zarfdjian andEconomidis 1989).…”

“…Due to their unusual aspect, high rate of endemism, and keystone ecosystem role, the socalled 'large branchiopods' (Branchiopoda: Anostraca, Notostraca, Spinicaudata) and the calanoid copepods (Copepoda: Calanoida) are considered "flagship taxa" of the animal biota inhabiting Mediterranean temporary ponds (e.g., Sahuquillo and Miracle 2013, Alfonso et al 2016, Marrone et al 2016. Notwithstanding the paramount importance of crustaceans in pond ecosystems, to date only few data are available about the non-malacostracan crustaceans inhabiting the inland waters of Greece (see Abatzopoulos et al 1999, Marrone 2006, Marrone et al 2019, and references therein); such lack of data is particularly regrettable since, due to its geographical location and complex physiography, Greece is expected to host an extraordinarily rich and diverse crustacean fauna (e.g., Griffiths et al 2004, Blondel et al 2010, Marrone et al 2017.…”

Distribution of European and African species of genus Diaptomus (Copepoda: Calanoida: Diaptomidae): a track analysis

“…Because of their small size, mode of reproduction, and dormant stages resistant to desiccation, copepod species have been believed to possess cosmopolitan distributions as a consequence of high rates of passive dispersal by winds and animal vectors, especially waterfowl and migratory birds (Maguire, 1963). This has led to speculation about 'colonization waves' (Boxshall and Jaume, 2000), 'glacial refugia' (Marrone et al, 2017), and other dispersalist narratives to explain the biogeography of copepods. However, empirical evidence has not supported the cosmopolitanism of copepods, suggesting instead that these crustaceans have in fact limited dispersal rates and display geographical distribution patterns with considerable degrees of endemism ( Jenkins and Underwood, 1998;Bohonak and Jenkins, 2003;Boxshall and Defaye, 2008;Marrone et al, 2013).…”

Preface: Emerging trends in aquatic ecology II

“…In particular, Zorzal-Almeida et al (2017) analysed the relative contribution of environmental heterogeneity, spatial extent and productivity in determining the b-diversity of benthic diatoms in tropical reservoirs, whereas phytoplankton diversity patterns were studied in two sets of subtropical reservoirs in South-America and Asia (Hu et al, 2017;Wojciechowski et al, 2017). Marrone et al (2017) reviewed the diversity patterns of calanoid copepods in the different limnoregions of the West Palaearctic and performed a biogeographical analysis revealing two different post-glacial colonization patterns in the Western and Eastern part of the Mediterranean Basin, most likely depending on the different orientation of the main mountain ranges in that region. Generally, these studies reveal the existence of complex patterns depending on historical, spatial/ environmental and biological factors, for example historical climatic events, different dispersal abilities of organisms, distances and structural heterogeneity among ecosystems, environmental filters acting within the ecosystems themselves and others.…”