Desert salt flats as oases for the spider Saltonia incerta Banks (Araneae: Dictynidae).

ABSTRACT: The deserts of southwestern North America have undergone dramatic changes over their recent geological history including large changes in size and connectivity during the Pleistocene glaciopluvial cycles. This study examines the population history of the rare spider Saltonia incerta, once thought to be extinct, to determine the role of past climatological events in shaping the structure of the species. This species is restricted to salt crusts of intermittent or dry lakes, streams or rivers in the desert southwest, a region that was much wetter during glacial periods. We examine the distribution and genetic variability of populations to test whether there is recent dispersal throughout the range of the species. Analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA indicate significant population struc

SUBMITTER: Crews SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4301052 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature