Data from: Ancient landscapes of the Namib Desert harbour high levels of genetic variability and deeply divergent lineages for Collembola

Aim To assess spatial patterns of genetic and species-level diversity for
Namib Desert Collembola using mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase
subunit I (COI) gene sequences. Location Namib Desert gravel plains Taxon
Collembola (springtails) Methods A total of 77 soil samples was collected
along a NE-SW (60 km) and E-W (160 km) transects from within a 4000 km2
area of the Namib Desert gravel plains. We extracted 434 springtails from
the 37 samples which contained Collembola and sequenced them at the COI
gene locus. In the absence of previous genetic data for these taxa, we
used GMYC analyses to provide putative species-level designations. Results
We obtained 341 successful COI sequences, 175 of which were unique
haplotypes. GMYC analyses identified 30 putative species, with up to 28%
sequence divergence (uncorrected p-distance). The distribution of genetic
variants was disjunct, with 97% of haplotypes and 70% of ‘GMYC species’
found only at single sites. Main conclusions Dispersal events, although
rare, may be facilitated by environmental events such as prevailing
onshore winds or occasional flow of rain water to the coast. We conclude
that the high genetic diversity we observed is the result of ancient
springtail lineages, patchy distribution of suitable habitats and limited
dispersal/gene flow among habitable locations.