Following the cold: geographical differentiation between interglacial refugia and speciation in the arcto-alpine species complex Bombus monticola (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

• Published in: Systematic Entomology
• Main Authors: Martinet, Baptiste, Lecocq, Thomas, Brasero, Nicolas, Biella, Paolo, Urbanová, Klára, Valterová, Irena, Cornalba, Maurizio, Gjershaug, Jan Ove, Michez, Denis, Rasmont, Pierre
• Other Authors: Université de Mons (UMons), Unité de Recherches Animal et Fonctionnalités des Produits Animaux (URAFPA), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de Lorraine (UL), University of South Bohemia, Czech Academy of Sciences Prague (CAS), Czech University of Life Science, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Belgian FRS (Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique), Czech Science Foundation (GACR GP14-10035P), University of South Bohemia (GA JU 152/2016/P), Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (61388963), European Community's Seventh Framework Program, STEP Project (Status and Trends of European Pollinators) (244090), European Union's Horizon project INTERACT (730938), European Project: 244090,EC:FP7:ENV,FP7-ENV-2009-1,STEP(2010)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2018
• Subjects: taxonomy; bumblebees; Following the cold: speciation in B. monticola Arcto-alpine regions; Bombus; cold-adapted species; integrative taxonomic approach; interrefugia differentiation; post-glacial warming; europe; taxonomie; spéciation; différenciation spécifique; refuge interglaciaire; Marqueur mitochondrial; [SDV.BA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Animal biology; Arctic
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01699909; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01699909/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01699909/file/Martinet%20et%20al_Bmonticola_subspecies_Manuscript_R2.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12268

Cold-adapted species are expected to have reached their largest distribution range during a part of the Ice Ages whereas postglacial warming has led to their range contracting toward high-latitude and high-altitude areas. This has resulted in an extant allopatric distribution of populations and possibly to trait differentiations (selected or not) or even speciation. Assessing inter-refugium differentiation or speciation remains challenging for such organisms because of sampling difficulties (several allopatric populations) and disagreements on species concept. In the present study, we assessed postglacial inter-refugia differentiation and potential speciation among populations of one of the most common arcto-alpine bumblebee species in European mountains, Bombus monticola Smith, 1849. Based on mitochondrial DNA/nuclear DNA markers and eco-chemical traits, we performed integrative taxonomic analysis to evaluate alternative species delimitation hypotheses and to assess geographical differentiation between interglacial refugia and speciation in arcto-alpine species. Our results show that trait differentiations occurred between most Southern European mountains (i.e. Alps, Balkan, Pyrenees, and Apennines) and Arctic regions. We suggest that the monticola complex actually includes three species: B. konradini stat.n. status distributed in Italy (Central Apennine mountains), B. monticola with five subspecies, including B. monticola mathildis ssp.n. distributed in the North Apennine mountains and B. lapponicus. Our results support the hypothesis that post-Ice Age periods can lead to speciation in cold-adapted species through distribution range contraction. We underline the importance of an integrative taxonomic approach for rigorous species delimitation, and for evolutionary study and conservation of taxonomically challenging taxa.