Distinct phylogeographic and population genetic patterns of decapod species across Mediterranean biogeographic barriers

What is it about?

The Mediterranean Sea is a semi-enclosed basin in connection with the Atlantic Ocean to the west through the Strait of Gibraltar and with the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea in the northeast. It is divided in two sub-basins (western and eastern) by the Sicily Channel. Only recently the eastern basin was connected to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean by the opening of the Suez Canal. The Mediterranean Sea is a hotspot of biodiversity and is characterized by high rates of endemism. Such high diversity of species has been attributed to both its geological history and its environmental conditions. The above-described geographical connections among the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent oceans/seas, as well as the ones across its sub-basins, are not always permeable to the movement of organisms. As such, they act as geographical barriers and may have resulted in the separation among distant populations within species. Reviewing Christoph Schubart’s works and interests, in this paper we presented some examples of crustacean species with different patterns of separation among population in relation to the main geographical barriers occurring in the Atlantic- Mediterranean region. Christoph’s work indeed showed how historical geological dynamics and current ecological and biological factors must be taken into account when studying the geographic distribution of species and the connection among their populations.

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