Unraveling the complex phylogeographic history of freshwater fishes in Lower Central America: A study of the electric fish Brachyhypopomus occidentalis

• Published in: Molecular phylogenetics and evolution Vol. 189; p. 107941
• Main Authors: De León, Luis F., Arias, Carlos F., Sharpe, Diana M.T., Bravo, Víctor, González, Rigoberto, Krahe, Rüdiger, Aguilar, Celestino
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.12.2023
• Subjects: Biogeography; Freshwater fishes; Gymnotiformes; Neotropical; Panama Isthmus; Phylogenomics; Biogeography; Neotropical; Panama Isthmus; Gymnotiformes; Freshwater fishes; Phylogenomics
• ISSN: 1055-7903; 1095-9513
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107941

[Display omitted] •The Isthmus of Central America presents a complex biogeographic history.•The electric fish Brachyhypopomus occidentalis shows geographic breaks in both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes across Lower Central America (LCA).•Phylogenomic analyses suggest multiple waves of colonization LCA by B. occidentalis.•Diversification in B. occidentalis is linked to the dynamic uplift of the Isthmus and the sea-level oscillations of the Pleistocene.•The history of diversification in B. occidentalis illuminates the complex phylogeographic history of freshwater fishes in LCA. Lower Central America (LCA) has a complex biogeographic history shaped by the rise of the Isthmus of Panama and the global climatic oscillations of the Pleistocene. These events have been crucial in structuring biodiversity in LCA, but their consequences for the distribution and partitions of genetic diversity across the region remain to be elucidated. We combined complete mitochondrial genomes and nuclear ultraconserved elements (UCEs) to study the phylogeographic history and population genetic structure of the electric fish Brachyhypopomus occidentalis in LCA. Our results are consistent with the known phylogeographic history of B. occidentalis in LCA, but we update this history in several important ways that help illuminate the phylogeographic history of freshwater fishes in the region. We provide: i) support for three waves of colonization, two of which occurred prior to the final closure of the Panama Isthmus; ii) a more precise understanding of each colonization event, with evidence for a larger footprint of the first event, as well as genetic exchange across the continental divide in subsequent events; and iii) evidence for high levels of previously unrecognized population genetic structure across LCA. This updated model of colonization and diversification of B. occidentalis consists of three waves of dispersal and colonization, which triggered the evolution of geographic breaks in both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes across LCA. These processes are tightly linked to the dynamic uplift of the Isthmus, recent volcanic activity in the region, and the sea-level oscillations of the Pleistocene. These results improve previous phylogeographic inferences regarding the distribution and diversification of freshwater fishes in LCA, and generate testable hypotheses to guide future research exploring the factors shaping biodiversity in the region.