Evolutionary history of Proteus cave salamanders

The aim of this study was to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the olm, the European cave salamander. The olm is endemic to the Dinaric Karst in Europe. It is among the rarest amphibians in the world, but yet little is known about its life underground and its evolutionary relationships across the range. Using mtDNA and genome-wide SNPs we aimed to identify evolutionary relationships within olms, molecular diversity, divergence times and to reconstruct their transitions from surface to cave life.

本研究旨在重构洞螈（olm，欧洲洞穴蝾螈）的演化历史。洞螈为欧洲狄那里克喀斯特地貌区的特有物种，是全球最珍稀的两栖动物之一，但目前学界对其地下生活习性以及整个分布区内的演化亲缘关系仍知之甚少。本研究利用线粒体DNA（mtDNA）与全基因组单核苷酸多态性（SNPs），旨在明确洞螈内部的演化亲缘关系、分子多样性与分化时间，并重构其从地表生活向洞穴生活的转变历程。