RESEARCH ARTICLE Ongoing Speciation and Gene Flow between Taxonomically Challenging Trochulus Species Complex (Gastropoda: Hygromiidae) Maøgorzata ProćkoÂw1*, Tomasz Strzaøa2, Elżbieta Kuźnik-Kowalska3, Jarosøaw Proćko w4, Paweø Mackiewicz5 1 Museum of Natural History, University of Wrocøaw, Wrocøaw, Poland, 2 Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Wrocøaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocøaw, Poland, 3 Department of Invertebrate Systematics and Ecology, Institute of Biology, Wrocøaw University of a1111111111 Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocøaw, Poland, 4 Department of Plant Biology, Institute of Biology, a1111111111 Wrocøaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocøaw, Poland, 5 Department of Genomics, a1111111111 Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wrocøaw, Wrocøaw, Poland a1111111111 a1111111111 *
[email protected] Abstract OPEN ACCESS Geographical isolation, selection and genetic drift can cause the geographical diversification Citation: ProćkoÂw M, Strzaøa T, Kuźnik-Kowalska E, of populations and lead to speciation. Land snail species in the genus Trochulus show over- ProćkoÂw J, Mackiewicz P (2017) Ongoing laps in geographical ranges as well as in morphology, but genetic data do not always sup- Speciation and Gene Flow between Taxonomically port the species-level taxonomy based on morphological characters. Such a group offers an Challenging Trochulus Species Complex (Gastropoda: Hygromiidae). PLoS ONE 12(1): excellent opportunity to explore the processes involved. We have addressed the problem by e0170460. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0170460 determining the status of the restricted endemic T. graminicola within the larger context of Editor: Riccardo Castiglia, Universita degli Studi di Trochulus taxonomy. We used an integrated approach based on morphological features, Roma La Sapienza, ITALY ecological preferences and two molecular markers: mitochondrial COI sequences and Received: August 18, 2016 microsatellites.