INTRASPECIFIC VARIATION OF CICHLIDOGYRUS (MONOGENEA, DACTYLOGYRIDAE) IN LAKE TANGANYIKA
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| Year of publication | 2015 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | Lake Tanganyika figures as an exquisite study system for biologists because of its unique diversity through various fish and invertebrate taxa. Research of monogeneans has been intensified in the past few years there. Genus Cichlidogyrus showed a relatively strong host specifity in littoral cichlids while a reduction of this specifity was suggested for deepwater species. The main purpose of our study was testing the host range of deepwater of representatives of Cichlidogyrus to check for ongoing speciation or decrease in host specifity. In total, 12 cichlid species from three different tribes were examined for monogenean infection. The morphometric part of the study was based on the measurements of parasite sclerotized structures; geomorphometrics analysis provided a visualization of the complex shape variation as an additional view to classical morphology. Genetic characterization was performed by means of established markers with different rates of molecular evolution. Finally, 883 parasitic individuals from 34 host fish were collected. Four different species belong to the genus Cichlidogyrus were distinguished by both morphometric and genetic characterization in all obtained ribosomal DNA regions. The low host specifity of the deepwater species C. casuarinus was confirmed. Although, no indication of ongoing speciation processes were observed in the genetic part of the study, significant intraspecific variation in the morphology of parasite sclerotized structures influenced by host preference and geographical origin was documented. This phenotypic plasticity is therefore probably correlated with specific host characteristics together with environmental factors. |
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