Exploring the genetic and morphological diversity of Pantala flavescens across different south Korean river basins

Abstract

Pantala flavescens, commonly referred to as the globe skimmer or wandering glider, are migratory dragonflies that are distributed around the world whose genetic diversities and population structures have not been defined in South Korea. Thus, we explored the genetic diversities, population structures, and morphological adaptations of P. flavescens along four main river basins in South Korea. In the present study, we carried out landmark morphometric analysis, microsatellite genotyping, and haplotype network analysis to gain insight into the morphological divergence, genetic diversity, and evolutionary dynamics of the P. flavescens populations from four different river basins. Microsatellite markers and mitochondrial DNA haplotypes revealed moderate genetic diversity and significant gene flow among populations, showing minimal geographic differentiation; hence, this points toward a capacity for extensive gene exchange in this species. Wing morphometrical analysis showed clear morphological differences among populations. However, the fact that there is a lack of correlation between morphological differences and geographic distance argues against pure local environmental pressures driving wing morphology. Based on the global genetic connectivity observed using the haplotype network, P. flavescens represents a model organism to investigate the evolutionary consequences of migration over broad geographic scales. These findings have given important insights into mechanisms maintaining genetic diversity and adaptability in P. flavescens and provided valuable guidance for the conservation of migratory species under rapidly changing environmental conditions.