Biogeographic patterns of mediterranean amphipods associated with Posidonia oceanica meadows
Author(s)
Abbattista, Chiara
Date Issued
May 31, 2019
Type
Doctoral Thesis
Abstract
The main object of the PhD research was to analyze the patterns of diversity in amphipods
associated to Posidonia oceanica meadows, by investigating the mechanisms determining such
diversity either along spatial and temporal scales or at different levels of biodiversity organization
(molecular to community). We have therefore used different kinds of data (species abundance,
incidence data mined from literature, sequence data from mitochondrial and nuclear genes) and
approaches (classical community statistics, network and modularity, phylogeography) to provide a
first picture of the mechanisms underlying the diversity patterns of amphipods associated to P.
oceanica. The analysis of the biogeographic barriers within the Mediterranean Sea has shown how
they are effective in determining both community and genetic structuring within and among
species, since the study of organisms with limited dispersal ability allows avoiding the loss of the
signature of ancient events because of the superimposition of contemporary high gene flow. Our
results demonstrated that amphipods are among these organisms and suggested that their study may
contribute to disentangle the effects of ancient historical events studied by phylogeographic
approaches with respect to the role of contemporary barriers, which contribute much more to the
co-occurrence patterns within assemblages. Our results also provided insights into the usefulness of
studying poorly vagile organisms to assess the biogeographic history of the Mediterranean Sea and
demonstrated that the system P. oceanica and associated amphipods is a useful tool to understand
patterns and mechanisms that create and maintain biodiversity.
Additional information
Dottorato di ricerca in Ecologia e gestione sostenibile delle risorse ambientali
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