Rüber
Fakultäten » Mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät » Evolutionsbiologie und Umweltwissenschaften, Institut für » Evolutionary Biology » Prof. Dr. Vincent Ziswiler (ausgetreten) » Rüber
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | Evolutionary history of the endemic Lake Tanganyika cichlid tribe Eretmodini: a molecular and morphological approach | ||||||||
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||||||||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | The species richness of cichlid fishes from the East African Great Lakes Tanganyika, Malawi, and Victoria is unprecedented among current vertrbrate groups. These species flocks thus offer unique opportunities to study evolutionary processes leading to explosive speciation and adaptive radiation. Here, we study various aspects of the evolutionary history of eretmodine cichlids from Lake Tanganyika: (1) Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and cytochrome b sequences are used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships and to assess phylogeographic patterns. (2) microsatellite DNA and mtDNA control region sequences are further used to infere population genetic structures. (3) Geometric morphometric methods are applied to study ecomorphological differentiation among eretmodine cichlids. (1) The six mitochondrial lineages found, disagree with the current taxonomy that is based solely on trophic morphology. Tracing tooth shape on the molecular phylogeny indicated multiple independent origins of similar trophic specializations in these cichlids. Each of the six lineages is characterized by a high degree of intralacustrine endemism. These distribution patterns reflect lake level fluctuations in the Pleistocene that split up the single lake basin into three isolated sub basins. (2) We further found high population subdivisions that can be explained by the patchy distribution of rocky habitats along the lakes shore and the stenotopic behaviour of eretmodine cichlids that might provide unprecedented opportunities for allopatric speciation. (3) Morphometric analyses indicated that the variation in body shape follow the variation of tooth shape and not phylogenetic patterns as indicated by mtDNA. A high correlation of trophic morphology, other than tooth shape and body shape showed ecomorphological constraints on trophic resource use. |
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| Publications / Publikationen | Sturmbauer, C.; Verheyen, E.; Rüber, L. & Meyer, A. (1997): Phylogeographic patterns in populations of cichlid fishes from rocky habitats in Lake Tanganyika. In: "Molecular Systematics of Fishes" (T. Kocher & C. Stepien, eds.), pp. 93-107. Academic Press, San Diego.Rüber, L.; Verheyen, E.; Sturmbauer, C. & Meyer, A. (1998): Lake level fluctuations and speciation in a rock-dwelling cichlid tribe endemic to Lake Tanganyika. In: "Evolution on Islands" (P. Grant, ed.), pp. 225-240. Oxford University Press, Oxford.Huysseune, A.; Rüber, L. & Verheyen, E. (1999): A single tooth replacement pattern generates diversity in the dentition of the tribe Eretmodini endemic to Lake Tanganyika (Teleostei, Cichlidae). Belgian Journal of Zoology 129 (1): 157-174.Weitere Informationen | ||||||||
| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | Adaptive radiation, speciation, biodiversity, molecular phylogeny, phylogeography, mitochondrial DNA, microsatellite DNA, trophic specialization, morphometrics, Eretmodini, cichlids, Lake Tanganyika | ||||||||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Other links to external web pages | http://www.kbinirsnb.be http://www.evolutionsbiologie.uni-konstanz.de |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
EU TMR stip (transport and mobility of research) |
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| In collaboration with / In Zusammenarbeit mit |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Mar 1996 to Oct 1999 |