Seven meristic and 65 morphometric characters, based on 20 landmarks, were studied on 711 specimens from 15 Greek lakes. Multivariate analyses demonstrated a well-supported differentiation of the western and northern from the eastern Rutilus species’ populations,

separated by the Pindos Mountains. In North-western Greece, there are three isolated endemic species, in different biogeographical areas (R. prespensis in the Southern Adriatic, R. panosi in the find more Ionian and R. ylikiensis in the Attico-Boeotia), while in the Northern Aegean, multiple non-homogeneous populations of the cosmopolitan R. rutilus can be found. This distribution is clearly in accordance with the biogeographical scenario for the distribution of freshwater fauna of the Balkan Peninsula. This study confirms differentiation of the populations of Lakes Kastoria, Volvi, Vegoritida and Doirani, and emphasizes the likely existence of cryptic species within R. rutilus populations. ”
“The platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus is an AUY-922 endemic monotreme species

with a wide latitudinal distribution in eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Understanding of the phylogeography within this species is very limited at present and represents a gap in the documentation of Australia’s unique biodiversity. We analysed mitochondrial DNA sequences (partial control region and complete cytochrome b, including portions of flanking tRNAs) of 74 individuals from across the distribution

of the species. Phylogenetic analysis of the concatenated sequences corroborated the primary split within the platypus, showing two major clades: one from mainland Australia and the other from Tasmania/King Island. Estimates of divergence times suggest that these clades last shared a common mitochondrial ancestor ∼0.7–0.94 Ma. Using an extended dataset of partial control region sequences from 284 individuals, we found evidence of genetic structure between river basins, primarily within mainland Australia, as well selleck products as an additional divergent lineage in North-eastern Australia. Overall, few haplotypes were shared between river basins. Analyses of molecular variance of the control region sequences indicated low rates of gene flow and significant divergence, particularly at the river basin and geographical area scales. ”
“Within the paradigm of resource-limited competition-structured communities, dabbling ducks (Anas spp.) have been used as a textbook example of how morphological differences, notably bill lamellar density and body length, may allow sympatric species to partition food and hence coexist. We reviewed all accessible diet studies from the Western Palearctic for three closely related dabbling duck species, mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), pintail (A. acuta) and teal (A. crecca), and present a comprehensive list of the food items (invertebrates, seeds, vegetative parts of plants) ingested.