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Systematics, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Fish in Arctic and Antarctic

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A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 22095

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Dr. Natalia V. Chernova

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Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 199034 Saint-Petersburg, Russia
Interests: marine fishes of the Arctic; systematics and biogeography; liparid fishes of the world oceans

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the context of global climate change and anthropogenic impacts, fish diversity in both polar regions is an important area of study and monitoring. However, the ichthyofauna of these regions remains less studied, comparatively, than those of warmer waters. Our knowledge on polar fishes remains full of gaps, and new species from both the Arctic and Antarctic are still being described. Each scientific cruise to high latitudes brings important new data on fish diversity and distribution, which provide additional facts and insights for such fundamental disciplines, such as the systematics and phylogeny of groups inhabiting these areas, as well as for the biogeography of polar regions.

For this Special Issue, we aim to invite papers that incorporate historical and recent data and contribute to the systematics and phylogeny of any fish groups of the polar regions and adjacent areas, or articles that develop our understanding of the biogeography of the Arctic, Antarctic and neighboring waters ichthyofauna. We invite submissions of either reviews or original research that may cover a broad range of mentioned topics. The presentation of a number of problems can contribute to understanding the modern structure of the polar fish faunas and the history of their formation. The development of biogeographic topics can clarify the content and distributional patterns of large fish complexes in the Arctic and Antarctic, which can be important for nature conservation management.

Dr. Natalia V. Chernova
Guest Editor

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Keywords

polar fish systematics
phylogeny of polar fishes
biogeographic patterns for fish in Arctic/Antarctic
polar fish phylogeography

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2892 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phylogeny, Distribution, and Biology of Pygmy Whitefish (Prosopium coulterii) in the Beringia Region (Chukotka)

by Grigorii N. Markevich, Mikhail M. Solovyev, Pavel G. Vlasenko, Gelena V. Izotova, Elena N. Kashinskaya, Nikolai A. Bochkarev, Dmitry V. Politov, Nikolaii O. Melnik and Evgeny V. Esin

Diversity 2023, 15(4), 547; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15040547 - 12 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1583

Abstract

The pygmy whitefish Prosopium coulterii (C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1892) is a freshwater fish with a highly disjunct distribution ranging from the middle part of North America to Chukotka. There is still no consensus regarding its phylogeny and dispersal history due to limited information from the Chukotkan part of the range. We investigated 22 lakes over Chukotka and found a much broader distribution than it was previously thought. Pygmy whitefish was found to be a common species in the lakes that belong to rivers draining into the Arctic. Cytochrome B, cytochrome oxidase subunit 1, and ATP synthase F0 subunit 6 mitochondrial sites were analyzed from 25 samples to reconstruct the phylogenetic history of pygmy whitefish. Two haplogroups belonging to the east and west Chukotkan ranges were identified; both groups are closely related to Alaskan pigmy whitefish and distant from the Cascadia-Mackenzie (Peace) populations. Combining the distribution patterns, phylogenetic network topology, and the contemporary knowledge on the glaciation history of the region, we suggest a possible colonization pathway over Beringia region and beyond it. The basic biological characteristics (fork length, number of gill rakers, and pyloric caeca, age structure, and feeding) are also presented to characterize the populations over the investigated range. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systematics, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Fish in Arctic and Antarctic)

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18 pages, 1896 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Contact Zone of Phylogenetic Lineages of Freshwater Fish in Arctic Eurasia: Genetic Polymorphism of Coregonid Populations

by Elena Borovikova and Yulia Nikulina

Diversity 2023, 15(2), 163; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020163 - 24 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3747

Abstract

The reconstruction of regional fauna history is very important in the context of recent climate change and anthropogenic transformation. We analyzed the mitochondrial nd1 gene polymorphism in populations of whitefish Coregonus lavaretus and certain widespread Eurasian ciscoes species: vendace Coregonus albula and least cisco Coregonus sardinella, inhabiting waterbodies from the Anadyr River in the east (the Pacific Ocean basin) to Loch Lomond in the west (the Atlantic Ocean basin). Distinct phylogenetic lineages and secondary contact zones have been found in these species. Most of these are species-specific with the exception of the zone from the Pechora River basin to at least the western part of the Taymyr Peninsula, in which whitefish, vendace, and least cisco share with each other and with various cold-water hydrobionts. We associate differences in the geographical position and propagation of the secondary contact regions with the species-specific morpho-ecological features, in particular, with the ability for long-term migrations. Based on the data obtained, we also discuss certain limitations of the phylogeography and phylogeny of the considered coregonid species and the correctness of the taxonomic status of certain populations or their groups. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systematics, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Fish in Arctic and Antarctic)

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13 pages, 1215 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Natural Selection at the Edge of Life: Allelic Polymorphism and Recruitment in High Latitude Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) Generated and Maintained by Environmental Extremes

by Johan Hammar

Diversity 2023, 15(1), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15010074 - 6 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1396

Abstract

Information from extreme habitats of polymorphic populations is expected to answer questions related to evolutionary changes occurring at their niche border. Landlocked and resident/anadromous populations of the Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus (L.) sp. complex), sampled during three successive years in northern Svalbard, were assessed for life-history characteristics, allele-frequency variation at the polymorphic EST-2* locus, and tested for genotype–environment interactions. While year-class strength correlated positively with mean air temperature during the two summers preceding spawning, the EST-2*100 allele frequency correlated positively with the air temperature in June after birth. By affecting two asynchronous and independent population variables, which are both no doubt correlated with fitness, annual temperature variation is suggested to generate and maintain polymorphism in Arctic char in the High Arctic by modifying year-class strength and selecting for variant alleles influencing cold resistance. Intra- and inter-population comparisons imply an additional selection between the two variant EST-2* alleles to operate ontogenetically, with a fixation on the 90 allele in landlocked and resident individuals and the 100 allele in anadromous individuals. The selective mechanism behind the latter processes is unknown. Because of low substrate specificity, however, esterases may form a reserve of adaptive ability towards environmental stress during contrasting conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systematics, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Fish in Arctic and Antarctic)

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11 pages, 1217 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Variation in the Frequency of Left-Sided Morph in European Flounder Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758) from the Marginal Arctic (the White Sea)

by Peter N. Yershov, Gennadiy V. Fuks and Vadim M. Khaitov

Diversity 2022, 14(11), 1004; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14111004 - 19 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1579

Abstract

The European flounder, Platichthys flesus, is a polymorphic flatfish, which has a large population variation in the proportion of left-sided and right-sided morphs across its geographic range. We compared the frequencies of these morphs in the White Sea (Kandalaksha, Onega, Dvina, and Mezen bays), the region in the northeastern part of species’ range adjacent to the Arctic. The proportion of the two morphs in the populations of White Sea flounders showed high variability and specific regional characteristics. The highest frequency of left-sided individuals was observed in the northwestern (Kandalaksha Bay) and southwestern (Onega Bay) parts of the White Sea. Flounders living in the eastern part of the White Sea (Dvina and Mezen bays) showed a much lower frequency of this trait. No consistent pattern of geographic variation in the proportion of the morphs was found in the geographic range of P. flesus. The lowest frequencies of left-sided individuals were recorded in the flounder populations living at the eastern and western margins of the geographic range. Geographic variation in the proportion of left-sided individuals in flounder populations is likely to be determined by a set of biotic and abiotic factors. Selective influence of the latter, acting through the trophic relationships of this species with other marine organisms, can differ in different parts of flounder’s geographic range. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systematics, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Fish in Arctic and Antarctic)

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11 pages, 2732 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ice Cod Arctogadus glacialis (Peters, 1874) in Northeast Greenland—A First Sketch of Spatial Occurrence and Abundance

by Oleg V. Karamushko, Arve Lynghammar and Jørgen S. Christiansen

Diversity 2022, 14(11), 993; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14110993 - 17 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1481

Abstract

Based on bottom trawl catches during the years 2002–2017, we present the first large-scale baseline on the spatial distribution and abundance of ice cod Arctogadus glacialis (Peters, 1874) in the fjords and on the shelf in Northeast Greenland (latitudes 70 °N–78 °N). Ice cod abundance peaked in the secluded sill fjords such as Bessel Fjord, Brede Fjord, Clavering Ø fjord system and Kong Oscar Fjord as compared to the offshore shelf. The mean biomass was estimated as 3.9 kg/km² on the shelf and 49.3 kg/km² in the fjords. Nearly 45% of the biomass was restricted to temperatures < −1.0 °C and almost 90 % of the biomass occurred within 200–600 m depth. This corresponds well with the deep, subzero fjords along the Northeast Greenland coast which, thus, appear the most suitable habitat for ice cod. Moreover, there was a gradual decrease in ice cod biomass on the shelf over the years 2002–2017. This apparent relocation of ice cod matches the ongoing warming of the Northeast Greenland shelf waters. Given that the overall temperature space of ice cod spans less than 4 ºC in Northeast Greenland, it is likely that the species is particularly vulnerable to climate change as warmer waters before long enter the fjords, i.e., the main habitat for ice cod. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systematics, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Fish in Arctic and Antarctic)

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18 pages, 4028 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Differences between the Baltic Triglopsis quadricornis and White Sea Triglopsis sp. Using Morphological and Genetic Data

by Valentina Sideleva and Zakhar Zhidkov

Diversity 2022, 14(11), 983; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14110983 - 16 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1905

Abstract

According to the modern fish system, one species of fourhorn sculpin Triglopsis quadricornis lives in the Baltic Sea and Arctic waters. In the present study, sculpins from the Baltic and White Seas were studied using different methods: morphological analysis to establish patterns of the seismosensory system, tomography for the study of cranial bones, X-ray imaging for the study of the axial skeleton, as well as phylogenetic analysis of two mtDNA markers (control region and CO1) and one nDNA marker (RAG1). The results obtained by these methods were used to prove the existence of two species: T. quadricornis in the Baltic Sea and Triglopsis sp. in the White Sea. These species differ significantly in the unique shape and size of the bony outgrowths on the head, as well as in the number of bony plates on the body. Genetic differences between the species were expressed in the formation of T. quadricornis and Triglopsis sp. independent clusters on Bayesian phylogenetic trees reconstructed based on the sequences of the mtDNA control region and RAG1. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systematics, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Fish in Arctic and Antarctic)

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16 pages, 2467 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tracing the Food Web of Changing Arctic Ocean: Trophic Status of Highly Abundant Fish, Gasterosteus aculeatus (L.), in the White Sea Recovered Using Stomach Content and Stable Isotope Analyses

by Anna S. Genelt-Yanovskaya, Natalia V. Polyakova, Mikhail V. Ivanov, Ekaterina V. Nadtochii, Tatiana S. Ivanova, Evgeny A. Genelt-Yanovskiy, Alexei V. Tiunov and Dmitry L. Lajus

Diversity 2022, 14(11), 955; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14110955 - 6 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1757

Abstract

Studies of dietary preferences of migratory species are of great importance as these species connect food webs of habitats across the migration route and thus represent trophic relationships between the spatially disjointed communities. Here we described the dietary preferences of threespine stickleback G. aculeatus in the White Sea during the spawning season using stable isotope and stomach content analyses. The two analyses suggested that during the spawning season, when sticklebacks spend the majority of their time inshore, their diet consists mostly of benthic species, while at the beginning of the spawning season when fish migrating from the offshore were feeding on plankton. Additionally, we demonstrated that stickleback eggs contributed greatly to the diet of both male and female fish. Using Bayesian mixing modeling, we showed that dietary preferences in females were broader than in males, and more variable during the spawning season. While guarding their nests, males fed almost exclusively on eggs. Both stomach contents and isotope signatures demonstrate that by the end of the spawning season sticklebacks again increase the consumption of plankton. Isotope analysis proved to be a more reliable tool to trace this change than stomach content analysis. Our results show that stable isotope and stomach content analyses are complementary in understanding seasonal changes in the dietary composition of stickleback. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systematics, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Fish in Arctic and Antarctic)

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19 pages, 4031 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Small and Abundant but Understudied Ribbed Sculpin Triglops pingelii (Cottidae, Teleostei) from the Kara Sea (Siberian Arctic): Distribution, Biology, and Comparison with Congeners

by Alexey M. Tokranov, Pavel O. Emelin and Alexei M. Orlov

Diversity 2022, 14(10), 853; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14100853 - 9 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1693

Abstract

The features of the spatial and vertical distributions, and size–age and size–sex structures of the ribbed sculpin Triglops pingelii of the Kara Sea are presented. In September 2019, this species was recorded at depths from 18 to 235 m at a bottom temperature from −1.5 to +1.6 °C. The densest concentrations were recorded northeastward of the Yamal Peninsula, at the outlet of the Gulf of Ob at a depth of 18–21 m and a bottom temperature from −1.5 to −1.0 °C. Individuals with a length of 46–126 mm and a body weight of 0.35–15.60 g aged 1+ to 4+ years were recorded in trawl catches. However, fish with a length of 51–90 mm and a body weight < 6 g aged 1+–2+ years dominated. Among fish > 71 mm long, the proportion of females increased sharply, reaching 100% with a length of 120 mm. The individual fecundity of female ribbed sculpins in the Kara Sea with a length of 89–123 mm varied from 100 to 316 (on average 215 ± 15) eggs. It is shown that this species is a necto-bentho-ichthyophage whose main prey are benthic and bentho-pelagic crustaceans (mainly amphipods and mysids), as well as juveniles of various fish, the total proportion of which is >99% of the food weight. In this sculpin, age-related changes in the diet composition are well expressed, i.e., as the size increases, the relative importance of the former prey group decreases sharply, and that of the latter two groups, on the contrary, increases. A comparative analysis of data on the biology and distribution of the six most abundant or common Triglops spp. makes it possible to attribute the ribbed sculpin to medium-sized representatives of the genus, whose maximum length is similar to those of T. jordani from the North Pacific, as well as T. murrayi and T. nibelyni from the Arctic. The lifespan of the ribbed sculpin is within the same limits as reported for other Triglops spp. Its individual fecundity in the Arctic seas is comparable to that of other Triglops species living here, but is significantly lower than that of individuals of this species and other congeners from the northwest Pacific Ocean. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systematics, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Fish in Arctic and Antarctic)

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18 pages, 1303 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Living in the Extreme: Fatty Acid Profiles and Their Specificity in Certain Tissues of Dominant Antarctic Silverfish, Pleuragramma antarcticum, from the Antarctic Sound (Southern Ocean) Collected during the Austral Summer

by Svetlana N. Pekkoeva, Viktor P. Voronin, Aleksej V. Mishin, Alexei M. Orlov and Svetlana A. Murzina

Diversity 2022, 14(10), 817; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14100817 - 29 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2089

Abstract

The fatty acid profile of seven different organs (brain, gills, heart, muscles, gonads, liver, and gall bladder) of the lipid-rich Antarctic silverfish, Pleuragramma antarcticum, from the Antarctic Sound was studied. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of fatty acids were performed using gas chromatography with mass-selective and flame ionization detectors. It was seen that the muscles and gills differed from the other organs with the prevalence of saturated fatty acids, mainly due to 16:0 and 14:0 that may reveal their additional metabolic role in these organs for adaptation of the fish to the cold Antarctic waters. Monounsaturated fatty acids 18:1(n − 9) and 16:1(n − 7) were prevalent in the other organs of silverfish, especially their high content in the liver, reflecting the carnivorous feeding type (mainly adult ice krill) of the species and their dietary preferences in the austral summer. The high content of essential fatty acids, 22:6(n − 3) (14% of total fatty acids) found in the brain and 20:5(n − 3) (12% of total fatty acids) found in the muscles, highlights the functional significance of these lipid components in the studied tissues of fish. The results will improve the understanding of the functional value of individual fatty acids in terms of their organ specificity and the adaptation of the Antarctic silverfish to life in the frigid ice waters of the Antarctic pelagic ecosystem. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systematics, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Fish in Arctic and Antarctic)

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11 pages, 976 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of the Habitat and Genotype on Osteological Traits in Landlocked and Anadromous Ecological Forms of Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar Linnaeus, 1758

by Anastasia O. Yurtseva, Dmitry L. Lajus, Alexander A. Makhrov, Vyacheslav A. Shirokov, Igor L. Shurov and Valentina S. Artamonova

Diversity 2022, 14(10), 806; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14100806 - 27 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1944

Abstract

Studies of speciation and intraspecific differentiation in salmonid fishes are traditionally based on analysis of osteological traits. In the current study the variation of osteological traits was compared between two Atlantic salmon forms: anadromous and landlocked. Each form was represented by three samples: one from a wild population, and two from hatcheries; i.e., we studied six samples in total. In total, 45 osteological characters were analyzed. Differences between the forms were found to be genetically determined to a substantial extent. The factor “origin” explained 48% of the total morphological difference between the fish samples; the factor “habitat”, 32%; and their interaction, 14%. Phenotypic plasticity of the anadromous form was observed to be lower than that of the landlocked form. We consider that the higher phenotypic plasticity may compensate for a decrease in genetic diversity which is observed in landlocked forms of the species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systematics, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Fish in Arctic and Antarctic)

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Review

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25 pages, 4588 KiB

Open AccessReview

Amphiboreality and Distribution of Snailfishes (Cottiformes: Liparidae) in the Arctic and the North Atlantic

by Natalia V. Chernova

Diversity 2022, 14(12), 1097; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14121097 - 11 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1788

Abstract

The marine ichthyofauna of the Arctic Ocean has an ancestral origin from the Pacific Ocean and, to a lesser extent, from the Atlantic Ocean, which is explained by the amphiboreal concept, developed on groups of fish and invertebrates. Snailfishes (Liparidae) of the Arctic and the North Atlantic are analyzed in the context of this amphiboreal concept. The review is based on the data of many years of research on their taxonomy using various material of morphological differences/similarities of the taxa and patterns of species distribution against the background of biogeographic representations. For the Arctic area, 33 species of the family are known: Liparis (5), Careproctus (21), Paraliparis (2), Rhodichthys (2), and Psednos (3). For the Atlantic fauna, with the same number of species, their composition differs: Liparis (6), Careproctus (3), Paraliparis (12), Psednos (11), and Eutelichthys (1). The amphiboreal concept explains the speciation of Liparis and the majority of Careproctus as the result of trans-Arctic preglacial migrations. For other (deep-sea) species, the hypothesis of a transoceanic dispersal route is applicable; it passed from the North Pacific through the Southern Ocean and then north across the Atlantic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systematics, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Fish in Arctic and Antarctic)

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