Molecular phylogenetic studies on the origin of biodiversity in Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal is host to some 2500 metazoan species, maybe more, the majority of which are endemic. When studies of the lake shifted from purely descrip tive work to a more analytical approach in the second half of this century, the question of the origin of Its fauna became central and is still one of the main challenges to researchers of Baikalian biodiversity. Current rese arch is investigating whether biodiversity can be explained by a few adapti ve radiations since the Miocene, whether it results from the accumulation o f diversity throughout the whole history of the Baikalian rift zone (about 70 million years) or whether it stems from even older events.