Molecular biogeography of Europe: Pleistocene cycles and postglacial trends

By T. Schmitt. Frontiers in Zoology, 2007

893 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The climatic cycles with subsequent glacial and intergalcial periods have had a great impact on the distribution and evolution of species. Using genetic analytical tools considerably increased our understanding of these processes. In this review I therefore give an overview of the molecular biogeography of Europe. For means of simplification, I distinguish between three major biogeographical entities: (i) "Mediterranean" with Mediterranean differentiation and dispersal centres, (ii) "Continental" with extra-Mediterranean centres and (iii) "Alpine" and/or "Arctic" with recent alpine and/or arctic distribution patterns. These different molecular biogeographical patterns are presented using actual examples.Many "Mediterranean" species are differentiated into three major European genetic lineages, which are due to glacial isolation in the three major Mediterranean peninsulas. Postglacial expansion in this group of species is mostly influenced by the barriers of the Pyrenees and the Alps with four resulting main patterns of postglacial range expansions. However, some cases are known with less than one genetic lineage per Mediterranean peninsula on the one hand, and others with a considerable genetic substructure within each of the Mediterranean peninsulas, Asia Minor and the Maghreb. These structures within the Mediterranean sub-centres are often rather strong and in several cases even predate the Pleistocene.For the "Continental" species, it could be shown that the formerly supposed postglacial spread from eastern Palearctic expansion centres is mostly not applicable. Quite the contrary, most of these species apparently had extra-Mediterranean centres of survival in Europe with special importance of the perialpine regions, the Carpathian Basin and parts of the Balkan Peninsula.In the group of "Alpine" and/or "Arctic" species, several molecular biogeographical patterns have been found, which support and improve the postulates based on distribution patterns and pollen records. Thus, genetic studies support the strong linkage between southwestern Alps and Pyrenees, northeastern Alps and Carpathians as well as southeastern Alps and the Dinaric mountain systems, hereby allowing conclusions on the glacial distribution patterns of these species. Furthermore, genetic analyses of arctic-alpine disjunct species support their broad distribution in the periglacial areas at least during the last glacial period.The detailed understanding of the different phylogeographical structures is essential for the management of the different evolutionary significant units of species and the conservation of their entire genetic diversity. Furthermore, the distribution of genetic diversity due to biogeographical reasons helps understanding the differing regional vulnerabilities of extant populations.

Subfields: Atmospheric Science, Ecological Modeling, Genetics

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Citations in the corpus

Applications of species distribution modeling to paleobiology (2011, background): “…al., 2000; Stewart and Lister, 2001; Willis and Van Andel, 2004; Binney et al., 2009; Heikkilä et al., 2009; Kelly et al., 2010; Väliranta et al., 2011), new phylogeographic studies (e.g., Petit et al., 2003; Magri et al., 2006; Schmitt, 2007), as well as syntheses (e.g., Bhagwat and Willis, 2008).”
Global warming will affect the genetic diversity and uniqueness of Lycaena helle populations (2011, background): “For more than four decades, allozyme electrophoresis has been applied to assess effects of ecosystem changes (Hedrick, 1999), for example, in studies on past climate oscillations (see Schmitt, 2007, 2009 for recent reviews).”
The impact of global climate change on genetic diversity within populations and species (2013, background): “Dispersal and migration mechanisms, in particular, have been one focus of inference for historic GCC responses based on phylogeographic data (e.g. Taberlet et al. 1998; Hewitt 1999; Abbott et al. 2000; Pfenninger & Posada 2002; Schmitt 2007; Engelhardt et al. 2011).”
Quaternary range dynamics of ecologically divergent species (Edraianthus serpyllifolius and E. tenuifolius, Campanulaceae) within the Balkan refugium (2011, background): “…studies have revealed that the Iberian, Apennine and Balkan peninsulas have acted as major glacial refugia of temperate plant and animal species and provided sources for post-glacial northward range expansion (Ibrahim et al., 1996; Taberlet et al., 1998; Hewitt, 1999; Schmitt, 2007).”
European grassland ecosystems: threatened hotspots of biodiversity (2013, background): “Long-term isolation accompanied by relatively constant climatic conditions has led to the accumulation of species in southern Europe over the past millions of years, while temperate and northern Europe are characterised by biodiversity impoverishment in consequence of the glaciation cycles with subs”
Glacial refugia of temperate trees in Europe: insights from species distribution modelling (2008, background): “Phylogeographic evidence for such northern LGM ranges is also found in other species with wide boreal or continental distributions (Schmitt 2007).”
Refugia within refugia – patterns in endemism and genetic divergence are linked to Late Quaternary climate stability in the Iberian Peninsula (2014, background): “It is increasingly clear that some hardy temperate and boreal species also had refugia in more northern parts of Europe (e.g. Schmitt, 2007).”
Phylogeographic patterns of steppe species in Eastern Central Europe: a review and the implications for conservation (2016, background): “These reviews conclude that species adapted to temperate conditions have reacted to glaciations following a general phylogeographic paradigm, where species’ range contracts during Pleistocene glaciations into southern refugia located basically in the area of the Mediterranean peninsulas, and subsequ”
Mitochondrial phylogeography, contact zones and taxonomy of grass snakes (Natrix natrix, N. megalocephala) (2013, background): “…concluded that, in agreement with general phylogeographic patterns of the western Palaearctic (Hewitt 1996, 2000, 2011; Taberlet et al. 1998; Joger et al. 2007; Schmitt 2007; Schmitt & Varga 2012), at least one glacial refuge was located in each of the southern European peninsulas and in Anatolia.”
Ice age distributions of European small mammals: insights from species distribution modelling (2009, background): “The location and size of the glacial refuges and the barriers to post-glacial colonization are important factors explaining present-day biogeographical patterns in Europe (Schmitt, 2007; Svenning & Skov, 2007a,b).”
The effects of Pleistocene glaciations on the phylogeography of Melitaea cinxia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) (2007, background): “Quaternary climatic oscillations, punctuated by the Pleistocene glaciations, caused massive changes to the distributions of species in the Palaearctic (Hewitt, 2000, 2004; Schmitt, 2007).”
Types of oreal and oreotundral disjunctions in the western Palearctic (2008, result): “The development and application of genetic markers has confirmed and modulated many of the earlier findings, and also unraveled still unresolved questions (Hewitt, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004a, b; Comes & Kadereit, 1998; Taberlet et al., 1998; Schmitt, 2007).”
Glacial survival and post‐glacial recolonization of an arctic–alpine freshwater insect (Arcynopteryx dichroa, Plecoptera, Perlodidae) in Europe (2013, background): “…respond to climate change with largescale latitudinal shifts (i.e. long-distance dispersal) but rather with intra-regional elevational shifts (Galbreath et al., 2009), which often resulted in mountain system-specific genetic lineages (Pauls et al., 2006; Schmitt, 2007; Lehrian et al., 2010).”