Can treefrog phylogeographical clades and species' phylogenetic topologies be recovered by bioacoustical analyses?

Author(s)

Forti, Lucas Rodriguez ; Lingnau, Rodrigo ; Encarnacao, Lais Carvalho ; Bertoluci, Jaime ; Toledo, Luis Felipe

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PLoS One; v. 12, n. 2 FEB 24 2017.
• Web of Science Citations: 11

Abstract

Phenotypic traits, such as the frog advertisement call, are generally correlated with interspecific genetic variation, and, as a consequence of strong sexual selection, these behaviors may carry a phylogenetic signal. However, variation in acoustic traits is not always correlated with genetic differences between populations (intraspecific variation); phenotypic plasticity and environmental variables may explain part of such variation. For example, local processes can affect acoustic properties in different lineages due to differences in physical structure, climatic conditions, and biotic interactions, particularly when populations are isolated. However, acoustic traits can be used to test phylogenetic hypotheses. We analyzed the advertisement calls of Dendropsophus elegans males from 18 sites and compared them with those of four closely related congeneric species, in order to test for differences between inter and intraspecific variation. We analyzed 451 calls of 45 males of these five species. Because males from distant sites were grouped together without population congruence, differences found in advertisement calls among individuals were not correlated with phylogeographical clades. Phylogenetic and cluster analyses of the D. elegans clades and those of closely related species grouped all five species into the same topology, as reported by previous molecular and morphological phylogenies. However, the topology of the D. elegans phylogeographical clades did not match the topology previously reported. Acoustic communication in D. elegans seems to be conserved among populations, and the phylogeographical history of the species does not explain the variation among lineages in call properties, despite some congruent phylogenetic signals evident at the species level. Based on molecular clocks retrieved from the literature, it seems that more than 6.5 million years of divergence (late Miocene) are necessary to allow significant changes to occur in the acoustic properties of these treefrog calls, making it possible to recover their phylogenetic history only based on acoustic evidence. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/51694-7 - Into the heart of an epidemic: a US-Brazil collaboration for integrative studies of the amphibian-killing fungus in Brazil
• Grantee: Luis Felipe de Toledo Ramos Pereira
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 11/52070-7 - NavScales: navigating through scales in space, time and domains of knowledge
• Grantee: Claudia Maria Bauzer Medeiros
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research Partnership for Technological Innovation - PITE
• FAPESP's process: 09/13987-2 - Acoustic and spatial niche partitioning among species of anuran communities from São Paulo Tropical Rain Forest
• Grantee: Lucas Rodriguez Forti
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate