Mountains, Lakes, and Ancient Drainage Networks Sculpt the Phylogeographic Architecture of the Stream Headwater Fish Acrossocheilus kreyenbergii in China

Our findings reveal that the phylogeographic architecture of <i>A. kreyenbergii</i> was sculpted by a succession of geologic and anthropocentric events: the Late-Cenozoic collapse of the Zhe-Min Uplift first fractured its range; the intervening Mufu-Lianyun-Luoxiao Mountains then acted as a persistent barrier; the large waters of Poyang and Dongting Lakes served as biological filters; and the 2200-year-old Lingqu Canal-constructed during the Qin dynasty-briefly re-established a corridor for gene flow. Together, these forces disrupted and reorganized the species' genetic connections, leaving a visible imprint today.