ABSTRACT
Geological events and historical environmental change can strongly
affect the genetic structures and differentiation of fish populations.
Although the central region of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau contains the
highest concentration of rift-subsidence lakes in China, the effects of
key geological events on the distributions and genetic structures of the
regional fauna remain poorly understood. Fishes of the genusSinocyclocheilus are endemic to the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, where
they are found in karst landforms. As a result of environmental
pollution and other human activities, Sinocyclocheiluspopulations have decreased sharply, and the genus is currently listed
under Class II of the nationally protected animals classification in
China. Examining the phylogeographic patterns of Sinocyclocheilusfishes can be useful for elucidating the spatio-temporal dynamics of
their population size, dispersal history and extent of geographical
isolation, thereby providing a theoretical basis for their protection.
Here, we used Restriction Site Associated DNA Sequencing (RAD-seq) to
investigate the evolution of Sinocyclocheilus fishes. Our
analysis supports the endemicity of Sinocyclocheilus , and
identifies the formation of Dianchi Lake and Fuxian Lake as key
geological events shaping Sinocyclocheilus population structure.
We estimate that the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) ofSinocyclocheilus fish occurred in the Central Yunnan Basin
3.75~3.11 Ma. It is the first time to prove that the
altitude change has a great influence on the genetic variation among the
populations of Sinocyclocheilus. We discuss the implications of
our results for the protection and management of Sinocyclocheilus
grahami and other cave fishes.