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"Long
before it's in the papers"
August 03, 2010
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Species hiding in plain sight
July 19, 2007
Courtesy BioMed Central
and World Science staff
New species are evading detection using an
almost foolproof disguise—their identical
appearance to other, known species. A new species of
hammerhead shark reported by University of South Carolina
researchers last year. It was genetically distinct from, but
visually identical
to, the scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini.
A new study suggests it’s common for different animal species to look alike despite other significant genetic differences. This introduces uncertainty to biodiversity estimates globally,
researchers say.
The only way to identify these evolutionary splinter groups from their look-alike cousins is through DNA profiles and
by checking for distinct mating groups, the scientists add. A species
is usually defined as a group of organisms whose members share a common
gene pool and can interbreed.
Markus Pfenninger and Klaus Schwenk of J.W. Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany,
scanned the Zoological Record database, a compilation of published zoological literature, for the past three decades
for reports of hidden or “cryptic” species.
They found 2,207 examples of these, evenly spread among all major branches of the animal kingdom and all geographical areas.
The findings go against received wisdom that the insect or reptile branches of the animal kingdom are more likely to harbour cryptic species, and that these are more likely to be found in the tropics than in temperate regions, the researchers said. Thus, they added,
zoologists should consider factoring in some “cryptic diversity” as a random error in all biodiversity assessments.
There also exist whole “complexes” of cryptic species—whole groups of species that
are reproductively isolated from each other but that look alike.
The findings have implications for conservation efforts, according to Pfenninger and Klaus. Another possibility is that pathogens, parasites and invasive species disguised as their relatives may yet remain undetected, representing a potential human health threat.
The research appears in the July 19 issue of the online scientific journal
BMC Evolutionary Biology.
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New species are evading detection using a foolproof disguise – their own un changed appearance. Research published in the online scientific journal BMC Evolutionary Biology, suggests it’s common for different animal species to look alike despite other significant genetic differences. This introduces un certainty to biodiversity estimates globally. The on ly way to identify these evolutionary splinter group from their look-alike cousins is through DNA profiles and the existence of distinct mating groups, scientists say. Markus Pfenninger and Klaus Schwenk of J.W. Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany searched the Zoological Record database, a compilation of published zoological literature, for the past three decades to pinpoint reports of hidden or “cryptic” species. They found 2207 examples even ly spread among all major branches of the animal kingdom and all geographical areas. The findings go against received wisdom that the insect or reptile branches of the animal kingdom are more like ly to harbour cryptic species, and that these are more like ly to be found in the tropics than in temperate regions, the researchers said. Thus, they added, Zoologists should consider factoring in some “cryptic diversity” as a random error in all biodiversity assessments. A so-called “complex” of cryptic species is a whole group of species that is reproductive ly isolated from each other but that look alike—but lacking conspicuous differences in appearance. The findings also have implications for conservation efforts, according to Pfenninger and Klaus. Another possibility is that pathogens, parasites and invasive species disguised as their relatives may yet remain un detected, representing a potential human health