This is a tricky question, but things can have very similar phenotypes with big differences in their genotypes. There seems to be an infinte amount of variation in nature, with each lineage being at some level separable from each other lineage. Just because we can't overtly see the differences between the genotypes, doesn't mean that they aren't there.
Below are abstracts from several recent (1996-1997) papers on cryptic speciation. Back to Finding Order in Chaos
An attempt is made to identify sibling species within the Brachionus plicatilis complex (Rotifera). Allozyme and morphological data for nine strains from all over the world are provided. Although the analysis of morphological data classified individuals from nine strains into two groups, cluster analysis using genetic distance data obtained from allozyme data revealed at least three groups. A male choice design is described for the first time in rotifers and was used to test for male mating preferences among sympatric strains belonging to three distinct species. The results suggest that the B. plicatilis complex is actually composed of more than three sibling species.
I propose here that evolutionary genetics, apart from improving our basic knowledge of the taxonomy and evolution of microbes (either eukaryotes or prokaryotes), can also greatly contribute to applied research in microbiology. Evolutionary genetics provides convenient guidelines for better interpreting genetic and molecular data dealing with microorganisms. The three main potential applications of evolutionary genetics in microbiology are (a) epidemiological follow-up (with the necessity of evaluating the stability of microbial genotypes over space and time); (b) taxonomy in the broad sense (better definition and sharper delimitation of presently described taxa, research of hidden genetic subdivisions); and (c) evaluation of the impact of the genetic diversity of microbes on their relevant properties (pathogenicity, resistance to drugs, etc). At present, two main kinds of population structure can be distinguished in natural microbial populations: (a) species that are not subdivided into discrete phylogenetic lineages (panmictic species or basically sexual species with occasional bouts of short-term clonality fall into this category); (b) species that are strongly subdivided by either cryptic speciation or clonal evolution. Improvements in available statistical methods are required to refine these distinctions and to better quantify the actual impact of gene exchange in natural microbial populations. Moreover, a codified selection of markers with appropriate molecular clocks (in other words: adapted levels of resolution) is sorely needed to answer distinct questions that address different scales of time and space: experimental, epidemic, and evolutionary. The problems raised by natural genetic diversity are very similar for all microbial species, in terms of both basic and applied science. Despite this fact, a regrettable compartmentalization among specialists has hampered progress in this field. I propose a synthetic approach, relying on the statistical improvements and technical standardizations called for above, to settle a unified evolutionary genetics of microorganisms, valid whatever the species studied, whether eukaryotic (parasitic protozoa and fungi) or prokaryotic (bacteria), Apart from benefits for basic evolutionary research, the anticipated payoff from this synthetic approach is to render routine and commonplace the use of microbial evolutionary genetics in the fields of epidemiology, medicine, and agronomy.
Analysis of the evolution of the Globorotalia (Fohsella) lineage of planktic foraminifera suggests that reproductive ecology and shell shape have evolved independently in this group. The silhouette of fohsellid shells displays a nearly unbroken anagenetic trend, yet isotopic data show that the fohsellids changed their depth of reproduction during the anagenetic evolution of their skeletons. Remarkably, there are no correlations between anagenesis in skeletal shape and the establishment of reproductive isolation. Apparently, anagenesis masks at least one speciation event that is apparent only in the isotopic evidence for a change in reproductive ecology. Although anagenetic trends have been widely cited as evidence for gradual speciation in planktic foraminifera and other microfossil groups, our data suggest that they should not always be considered to record either the tempo or mode of speciation. Speciation was apparently uncoupled from morphological evolution in fohsellids because these evolutionary phenomena occurred in different phases of ontogeny. Gradual morphological changes were associated with the main phase of shell growth of both the ancestor and descendant species in the near-surface ocean. Reproductive isolation occurred when ancestral and descendant populations became established at different depths near the end of the life cycle. Morphological evolution may also be uncoupled from reproductive isolation in other organisms that experience very different selection pressures over the duration of their ontogenies, such as parasites with many hosts, species with multiple phases of metamorphosis, and organisms that broadcast their gametes.
To date, only 3 species of the sponge genus Plakina Schulze have been identified in the Mediterranean: P, monolopha, P, dilopha and P. trilopha. These species are distinguished on the basis of the presence of a particular spicule type (lophocalthrops) with 1, 2 and 3 lophate actines, respectively. In a survey of plakinids on vertical walls and submarine caves in the Mediterranean around Marseilles, France, we found 4 different morphotypes of what would normally be identified as P. trilopha (i.e. with trilophose calthrops). However, slight but consistent differences in morphological characters and ecology led us to doubt the conspecificity of these morphotypes. Genetic divergence and reproductive isolation between morphotypes were investigated through allozyme electrophoresis. It was found that all 4 morphotypes were reproductively isolated from each other, with diagnostic loci between any pair of morphotypes compared. Genetic identities between morphotypes ranged from 0.49 to 0.83. The genetic differences found between the morphotypes indicate that these should not be considered conspecific. Once species boundaries were delimited by genetic data, diagnostic morphological characters for each species could be found.
Allopatric populations of Australian freshwater eel-tailed catfish, Tandanus tandanus, were compared morphologically and electrophoretically. Five populations from east of the Great Dividing Range and six from within the Murray-Darling basin, west of the Great Dividing Range, were sampled. An absence of morphological differentiation among all populations was in contrast to electrophoretic evidence in which fixed allelic differences revealed three discrete gene pools: (1) an undescribed species from the Bellinger River; (2) a second undescribed species from the Nymboida River; and (3) the remaining populations that were genetically similar to one another. Mean heterozygosity in all populations ranged from 0.000-0.011.
Three new sponge species without a skeleton, Oscarella viridis, O. microlobata, and O. imperialis, were found in sublittoral caves and on vertical walls along the coast of Provence (western Mediterranean Sea, France). Their morphology, anatomy, and cytology are described and they are compared with the two other valid Mediterranean Oscarella species, O. lobularis and O. tuberculata. Reproductive and internal anatomical characters are uniform in the genus, but details of external morphology and especially cytological characters (mesohylar cells with inclusions) provide good diagnostic features at the species level. Careful observation of morphological and cytological characters is essential for clarifying the systematics of Oscarella and reveals an unexpected biodiversity of this genus in the Mediterranean Sea.
Lutzomyia trapidoi is the major vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ecuador. In the framework of an epidemiologic study, female Lu. trapidoi sand flies were captured on human bait in La Tablada and Paraiso Escondido. Some coloration heterogeneity among the specimens caught led us to look for the existence of cryptic species using multilocus enzyme electrophoresis. In 196 specimens studied, five of seven enzyme loci proved to be variable, making it possible to check for departures from panmixia both by Hardy-Weinberg statistics and linkage disequilibrium analysis. Two discrete groups were clearly distinguished, which could be differentiated by the diagnostic locus glycerophosphate dehydrogenase. The two groups occurred in sympatry within each locality. Genetic distances measured between these two groups were consistent with values usually found between distinct species. These results suggest the existence of at least two sibling species in Paraiso Escondido as well as La Tablada. The epidemiologic relevance of these results is discussed.
Biologists have long known of the existence of 'inaudible' songs in insects, but recent work has shown such substrate-borne or near-field signals to be virtually ubiquitous, and often correlated with high numbers of sibling species. In a sexual context, silent singing has the formidable advantage of privacy: neither predators nor sexual competitors can listen and disrupt. Privacy enhances species recognition by promoting signal complexity. It also encourages the evolution of intricate signals in females as well as males, leading to obligatory dueting behavior during pair formation. Current evidence suggests that song divergence in dueting taxa can facilitate rapid, sympatric speciation.
Horizontal starch gel electrophoresis was used to investigate levels of genetic differentiation between four samples of the nominate squid species Martialia hyadesi Rochbrune and Mabille, 1889, obtained from regions of the Patagonian Shelf and Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone over 1000 km apart. M. hyadesi is an ecologically important South Atlantic ommastrephid squid and it is probable that, in the future, fishing effort will be increasingly directed towards this species. Details regarding the population structure of the species are therefore required. In comparison with the other three samples of M. hyadesi, one of the samples from the Patagonian Shelf (PAT 8911) exhibited fixed allelic differences at 16 of the 39 enzyme loci which were resolved (genetic identity, I = 0.51). This high level of genetic differentiation contradicts the apparent morphological similarity between samples, indicating the presence of a cryptic or sibling congeneric species. Deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and significant differences in allele distribution were also detected within and between the other three putative M. hyadesi samples, suggesting that the species fails to maintain effective panmixia across its geographical range. The occurrence of both temporal (1986 cf. 1989) and geographic structuring within the species complex is consequently indicated, caused possibly by an overlap of reproductively isolated stocks (stock mixing) outside their respective breeding areas. Low levels of genetic variability were detected throughout the samples examined, estimates of average heterozygosity per locus within the two species detected being in the order of 0.01 and 0.002. These values are discussed in relation to levels of genetic variability reported for other squid species, and in comparison with values typically expected for marine invertebrates.
Wild lentils are potential genetic resources for the cultivated lentil, Lens culinaris ssp. culinaris. Their actual value for crop improvement depends on their genetic relationships with the cultigen and their diversity for traits of economic importance. The current view on Lens taxonomy and the latest information on geographic distribution and ecology of the wild taxa are reviewed. The latter is essential for successful collection of wild lentils in their natural habitats. Intraspecific variation is extensively reviewed and evidence for cryptic speciation has been indicated. Crossability potential divides the genus into two groups: L. culinaris - L. odemensis and L. ervoides - L. nigricans. Crosses between members of different group fail because of hybrid embryo abortion. Using embryo culture, viable hybrids can be obtained between L. ervoides and members of the other group. Of the wild lentils, the putative ancestor of the cultigen, L. culinaris ssp. orientalis, is a member of the crop's primary gene pool, whereas L. odemensis and L. ervoides constitute the secondary gene pool. Morphological, physiological, and genetic attributes of ssp. orientalis have been used to assess the process of lentil domestication. It has been pointed out that elimination of seed dormancy was a necessary step for successful lentil cultivation, and that the dormancy-free type probably evolved in wild stands by the aid of selection pressure exerted by man.