Living on the edge: comparative phylogeography and phylogenetics of Oreohelix land snails at their range edge in Western Canada.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The biodiversity and distributions of terrestrial snails at local and regional scales are influenced by their low vagility and microhabitat specificity. The accessibility of large-bodied species and their characteristically high levels of genetic polymorphism make them excellent ecological and evolutionary models for studies on the phylogeography, phylogenetics, and conservation of organisms in fragmented populations. This study aims to elucidate the biodiversity, systematics, and distributions of genetic lineages within the genus Oreohelix at the northern and western periphery of their range.

Results

We found four mitochondrial clades, three of which are putative subspecies of Oreohelix subrudis. One clade was geographically widespread, occurring within numerous

SUBMITTER: Dempsey ZW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6945528 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature