Following the Antarctic Circumpolar Current: patterns and processes in the biogeography of the limpet Nacella (Mollusca: Patellogastropoda) across the Southern Ocean

Abstract

© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: We use an integrative biogeographical approach to further understand the evolution of an important Southern Ocean marine benthic element, the limpet genus Nacella (Mollusca: Patellogastropoda). Location: Southern Ocean. Methods: We used multi-locus time-calibrated phylogeny of Nacella at the scale of the whole Southern Ocean to elucidate the underlying processes involved in the origin and diversification of the genus. Results: Divergence-time estimates suggest that soon after its origin during the mid-Miocene (c. 12.5 Ma), Nacella separated into two main lineages currently distributed in (1) South America and (2) Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands. We identified two pulses of diversification, during the late Miocene (8 to 5.5 Ma) and the Pleistocene (< 1 Ma). Main conclusions: Major periods of climatic and oceanographical change strongly affected the biogeography of Nacella and demonstrate both the long- and short-term influence of the Antarctic