Data from: The role of continental shelf width in determining freshwater phylogeographic patterns in southeastern Australian pygmy perches (Teleostei: Percichthyidae)

Biogeographic patterns displayed by obligate freshwater organisms are intimately related to the nature and extent of connectivity between suitable habitats. Two of the more significant barriers to freshwater connections are seawater and major drainage divides. South-eastern Australia provides a contrast between these barriers as it has discrete areas that are likely influenced to a greater or lesser extent by each barrier type. We use continental shelf width as a proxy for the potential degree of river coalescence during low sea levels. Our specific hypothesis is that the degree of phylogeographic divergence between coastal river basins should correspond to the continental shelf width of each region. This predicts that genetic divergences between river basins should be lowest in regions with a wider continental shelf and that regions with similar continental shelf width should have similar genetic divergences. Pygmy perches (Nannoperca australis and Nannoperca ‘flindersi’) in south-eastern Australia provide an ideal opportunity to test these biogeographic hypotheses. Phylogeographic patterns were examined based on range-wide sampling of 82 populations for cytochrome b and 23 polymorphic allozyme loci. Our results recovered only limited support for our continental shelf width hypothesis, although patterns within Bass clade were largely congruent with reconstructed low sea-level drainage patterns. In addition, we identified several instances of drainage divide crossings, typically associated with low elevational differences. Our results demonstrate high levels of genetic heterogeneity with important conservation implications, especially for declining populations in the Murray–Darling Basin and a highly restricted disjunct population in Ansons River, Tasmania.,5699 bp of mtDNA datafileNexus file for sequence data for 5699 bp of mtDNA.mtdna.dryad.submission.nexNannoperca cytb data for unique haplotypesNexus file for sequence data for cytochrome b gene by haplotype.spp.byhap.haponly2.nexNannoperca cytb data for all individualsNexus file for sequence data for cytochrome b gene for all individuals.spp.cytb.all.final.paper.nexNannoperca cytb data for all individuals grouped by lineageMega file for sequence data for cytochrome b gene for all individuals grouped by lineage.spp.cytb.all.group.by.lineage.final.paper.megNannoperca cytb data for continental shelf hypothesis grouped by lineageMega file for sequence data for cytochrome b gene for testing the continental shelf hypothesis grouped by lineage. This contains a subset of the complete datafiles.spp.shelf.hyp.bygroup.megInput data file to BEAST based on 5699 bp of mtDNAspp.allgenes.StarBEAST.upgma.xmlSPP_Molec_Ecol_raw_allozyme_dataRaw allozyme data,