TY - GEN A1 - Beermann, Jan A1 - Westbury, Michael V. A1 - Hofreiter, Michael A1 - Hilgers, Leon A1 - Deister, Fabian A1 - Neumann, Hermann A1 - Raupach, Michael J. T1 - Cryptic species in a well-known habitat BT - applying taxonomics to the amphipod genus Epimeria (Crustacea, Peracarida) T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Taxonomy plays a central role in biological sciences. It provides a communication system for scientists as it aims to enable correct identification of the studied organisms. As a consequence, species descriptions should seek to include as much available information as possible at species level to follow an integrative concept of 'taxonomics'. Here, we describe the cryptic species Epimeria frankei sp. nov. from the North Sea, and also redescribe its sister species, Epimeria cornigera. The morphological information obtained is substantiated by DNA barcodes and complete nuclear 18S rRNA gene sequences. In addition, we provide, for the first time, full mitochondrial genome data as part of a metazoan species description for a holotype, as well as the neotype. This study represents the first successful implementation of the recently proposed concept of taxonomics, using data from high-throughput technologies for integrative taxonomic studies, allowing the highest level of confidence for both biodiversity and ecological research. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 1059 KW - multiple sequence alignment KW - Oxidase Subunit-I KW - mitochondrial genome KW - control region KW - Ribosomal-RNA KW - asellota crustacea KW - gammarus crustacea KW - deep-sea KW - DNA KW - evolution Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-460792 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 1059 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beermann, Jan A1 - Westbury, Michael V. A1 - Hofreiter, Michael A1 - Hilgers, Leon A1 - Deister, Fabian A1 - Neumann, Hermann A1 - Raupach, Michael J. T1 - Cryptic species in a well-known habitat BT - applying taxonomics to the amphipod genus Epimeria (Crustacea, Peracarida) JF - Scientific reports N2 - Taxonomy plays a central role in biological sciences. It provides a communication system for scientists as it aims to enable correct identification of the studied organisms. As a consequence, species descriptions should seek to include as much available information as possible at species level to follow an integrative concept of 'taxonomics'. Here, we describe the cryptic species Epimeria frankei sp. nov. from the North Sea, and also redescribe its sister species, Epimeria cornigera. The morphological information obtained is substantiated by DNA barcodes and complete nuclear 18S rRNA gene sequences. In addition, we provide, for the first time, full mitochondrial genome data as part of a metazoan species description for a holotype, as well as the neotype. This study represents the first successful implementation of the recently proposed concept of taxonomics, using data from high-throughput technologies for integrative taxonomic studies, allowing the highest level of confidence for both biodiversity and ecological research. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25225-x SN - 2045-2322 VL - 8 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hilgers, Leon A1 - Hartmann, Stefanie A1 - Hofreiter, Michael A1 - von Rintelen, Thomas T1 - Novel Genes, Ancient Genes, and Gene Co-Option Contributed o the Genetic Basis of the Radula, a Molluscan Innovation JF - Molecular biology and evolution N2 - The radula is the central foraging organ and apomorphy of the Mollusca. However, in contrast to other innovations, including the mollusk shell, genetic underpinnings of radula formation remain virtually unknown. Here, we present the first radula formative tissue transcriptome using the viviparous freshwater snail Tylomelania sarasinorum and compare it to foot tissue and the shell-building mantle of the same species. We combine differential expression, functional enrichment, and phylostratigraphic analyses to identify both specific and shared genetic underpinnings of the three tissues as well as their dominant functions and evolutionary origins. Gene expression of radula formative tissue is very distinct, but nevertheless more similar to mantle than to foot. Generally, the genetic bases of both radula and shell formation were shaped by novel orchestration of preexisting genes and continuous evolution of novel genes. A significantly increased proportion of radula-specific genes originated since the origin of stem-mollusks, indicating that novel genes were especially important for radula evolution. Genes with radula-specific expression in our study are frequently also expressed during the formation of other lophotrochozoan hard structures, like chaetae (hes1, arx), spicules (gbx), and shells of mollusks (gbx, heph) and brachiopods (heph), suggesting gene co-option for hard structure formation. Finally, a Lophotrochozoa-specific chitin synthase with a myosin motor domain (CS-MD), which is expressed during mollusk and brachiopod shell formation, had radula-specific expression in our study. CS-MD potentially facilitated the construction of complex chitinous structures and points at the potential of molecular novelties to promote the evolution of different morphological innovations. KW - chitin synthase KW - novelty KW - radula KW - RNAseq KW - shell KW - Tylomelania sarasinorum Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msy052 SN - 0737-4038 SN - 1537-1719 VL - 35 IS - 7 SP - 1638 EP - 1652 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - THES A1 - Hilgers, Leon T1 - From innovation to diversification BT - the genetic basis of the molluscan radula and its adaptive diversification in Tylomelania Y1 - 2018 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hilgers, Leon A1 - Hartmann, Stefanie A1 - Pfaender, Jobst A1 - Lentge-Maass, Nora A1 - Marwoto, Ristiyanti M. A1 - von Rintelen, Thomas A1 - Hofreiter, Michael T1 - Evolutionary divergence and radula diversification in two ecomorphs from an adaptive radiation of freshwater snails JF - Genes N2 - (1) Background: Adaptive diversification of complex traits plays a pivotal role in the evolution of organismal diversity. In the freshwater snail genus Tylomelania, adaptive radiations were likely promoted by trophic specialization via diversification of their key foraging organ, the radula. (2) Methods: To investigate the molecular basis of radula diversification and its contribution to lineage divergence, we used tissue-specific transcriptomes of two sympatric Tylomelania sarasinorum ecomorphs. (3) Results: We show that ecomorphs are genetically divergent lineages with habitat-correlated abundances. Sequence divergence and the proportion of highly differentially expressed genes are significantly higher between radula transcriptomes compared to the mantle and foot. However, the same is not true when all differentially expressed genes or only non-synonymous SNPs are considered. Finally, putative homologs of some candidate genes for radula diversification (hh, arx, gbb) were also found to contribute to trophic specialization in cichlids and Darwin's finches. (4) Conclusions: Our results are in line with diversifying selection on the radula driving Tylomelania ecomorph divergence and indicate that some molecular pathways may be especially prone to adaptive diversification, even across phylogenetically distant animal groups. KW - speciation KW - adaptive radiation KW - molluscs KW - RNAseq KW - regulatory evolution KW - trophic specialization Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13061029 SN - 2073-4425 VL - 13 IS - 6 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER -