Diversification throughout the subterranean environment: the Troglocharinus ferreri complex (Coleoptera, Cholevidae, Leptodirini)

Trabajo presentado en el III Congreso Ibérico de Biología Subterránea, celebrado en Barcelona del 2 al 5 de octubre de 2013.Geological and geomorphological processes are thought to have significantly influenced the distribution and diversity of subterranean invertebrates, shaping patterns of genetic variation and promoting speciation in subterranean fauna. However, determining the factors promoting divergence and speciation is often difficult in many groups because of our limited understanding of potential vicariant barriers and connectivity between populations. We employed a hypothesis-driven approach to assess the impact of potential geological barriers on the Troglocharinus ferreri complex (Leiodidae, Leptodirini), distributed through the Garraf Massif, in the southwest of Barcelona. We obtained molecular data (nuclear and mitochondrial) from specimens of more than 40 caves in the Garraf-Ordal Massifs to infer the demographic expansion of the T. ferreri complex throughout the sedimentary layers within the massif (clastic rocks, different kinds of limestone, sandstone). Preliminary tests shown some degree of haplotype differentiation and clustering. Patterns of diversifications in the phylogenetic lineages seem to correspond to geological microunits, with evaporite and dolomite layers possibly acting as barriers to gene flow. This may allow to reconstruct the history of the colonisation of the subterranean environment of the Garraf Massif, discriminating between alternative hypothesis based on the geographic location of the different geological units.Peer Reviewe