The role of ecological and historical factors and interspecific competition in range formation of the leeches (Hirudinida)
Keywords:
leeches, Hirudo, speciation, ecological strategyAbstract
The importance of historical, geographical and environmental factors, interspecific competition and hybridization for speciation and range formation in leeches was investigated and analyzed. The results regarding patterns of distribution, reproductive biology and phylogeography indicate different mechanisms of range formation in species with terrestrial stages in their life cycles and in species that are exclusively aquatic. Speciation and range formation of the species that do not have ability to spread on the land have occurred under the effect of historical factors: emergence of geographical barriers in the past. The species with terrestrial stages in their life cycles, vice versa, have belt-like ranges that extend from the east to the west and correspond to major terrestrial landscapes.
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