Biogeography and Genetic Diversity of Terrestrial Mites in the Ross Sea Region, Antarctica

Gemma E Collins; Monica R Young; Peter Convey; Steven L Chown; S Craig Cary; Byron J Adams; Diana H Wall; Ian D Hogg

doi:10.3390/genes14030606

Biogeography and Genetic Diversity of Terrestrial Mites in the Ross Sea Region, Antarctica

Genes (Basel). 2023 Feb 28;14(3):606. doi: 10.3390/genes14030606.

Authors

Gemma E Collins^{1

2}, Monica R Young³, Peter Convey^{4

5

6}, Steven L Chown⁷, S Craig Cary¹, Byron J Adams^{8

9}, Diana H Wall^{10

11}, Ian D Hogg^{1

12}

Affiliations

¹ School of Science, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.
² LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
³ Canadian National Collection of Insects Arachnids and Nematodes, Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0C6, Canada.
⁴ British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge CB3 OET, UK.
⁵ Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park 2006, South Africa.
⁶ Millennium Institute Biodiversity of Antarctic and Subantarctic Ecosystems, BASE, University Austral of Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile.
⁷ Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia.
⁸ Department of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology Laboratories, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
⁹ Monte L. Bean Museum, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
¹¹ School of Global Environmental Sustainability, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
¹² Canadian High Arctic Research Station, Polar Knowledge Canada, Cambridge Bay, NU X0B 0C0, Canada.

Abstract

Free-living terrestrial mites (Acari) have persisted through numerous glacial cycles in Antarctica. Very little is known, however, of their genetic diversity and distribution, particularly within the Ross Sea region. To redress this gap, we sampled mites throughout the Ross Sea region, East Antarctica, including Victoria Land and the Queen Maud Mountains (QMM), covering a latitudinal range of 72-85 °S, as well as Lauft Island near Mt. Siple (73 °S) in West Antarctica and Macquarie Island (54^oS) in the sub-Antarctic. We assessed genetic diversity using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene sequences (COI-5P DNA barcode region), and also morphologically identified voucher specimens. We obtained 130 sequences representing four genera: Nanorchestes (n = 30 sequences), Stereotydeus (n = 46), Coccorhagidia (n = 18) and Eupodes (n = 36). Tree-based analyses (maximum likelihood) revealed 13 genetic clusters, representing as many as 23 putative species indicated by barcode index numbers (BINs) from the Barcode of Life Datasystems (BOLD) database. We found evidence for geographically-isolated cryptic species, e.g., within Stereotydeus belli and S. punctatus, as well as unique genetic groups occurring in sympatry (e.g., Nanorchestes spp. in QMM). Collectively, these data confirm high genetic divergence as a consequence of geographic isolation over evolutionary timescales. From a conservation perspective, additional targeted sampling of understudied areas in the Ross Sea region should be prioritised, as further diversity is likely to be found in these short-range endemic mites.

Keywords: Acari; Antarctic conservation; DNA barcoding; geographic isolation; speciation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Animals
Antarctic Regions
Genetic Drift
Genetic Variation* / genetics
Mites* / genetics
Phylogeny

Grants and funding

Funding and/or logistic support were provided by: New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute (NZARI) and Antarctica New Zealand (AntNZ) to IDH for work in South Victoria Land (SVL) and the Queen Maud Mountains (QMM); PC was supported by NERC core funding to the BAS “Biodiversity, Evolution and Adaptation” Team; SCC and the work in North Victoria Land (NVL) were supported by a grant from NZARI and a Catalyst Award from the New Zealand Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE); we thank AntNZ, the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) and staff at Jan Bogo Station for support of the work in NVL; the United States National Science Foundation (ANT-1341736, OPP-1637708) for support of D.H.W., I.D.H. and B.J.A. in S.V.L. and Q.M.M.; and the Antarctic Circumpolar Expedition (ACE) for funding to SLC (for Mt. Siple) and the Australian Antarctic Program for funding to SLC (for Macquarie Island).