Effects of climate and geography on spatial patterns of genetic structure in tropical skinks

Author(s)

Rivera, Danielle ^{[1, 2]} ; Prates, Ivan ^{[3, 4, 1, 5]} ; Rodrigues, Miguel Trefaut ^[6] ; Carnaval, Ana Carolina ^{[1, 5]}

Affiliation

^[1] CUNY City Coll, Dept Biol, 138Th St & Convent Ave, New York, NY 10031 - USA

^[2] Univ Texas Arlington, Dept Biol, 501 S Nedderman Dr, Life Sci Bldg, RM337, Arlington, TX 76019 - USA

^[3] Smithsonian Inst, Dept Vertebrate Zool, Natl Museum Nat Hist, Washington, DC 20560 - USA

^[4] Univ Michigan, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 - USA

^[5] CUNY, Grad Ctr, Biol Program, New York, NY 10016 - USA

^[6] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution; v. 143, FEB 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Knowledge of how contemporary and historical factors drive patterns of genetic structure across geographic space can shed light on the processes underlying diversification. This approach is especially fruitful in studies of widespread species or species clades that occur across multiple environmental conditions and biomes. In the Neotropics, specifically, molecular data from widespread vertebrate species have revealed high levels of lineage diversity and spatial genetic structure - yet studies that explore the possible correlates of local structure patterns are lacking. We investigate the distribution of lineage diversity within two widespread South American skink species complexes of the genus Mabuya. We characterize genetic structure and diversity in these widely ranged lizards, and identify potential geographic and environmental correlates, to shed light on the processes that promote lineage diversification across the heterogeneous landscapes which they occupy. In both groups, we found mitochondrial lineages to be spatially structured along the coastal forests and the savannas of Brazil. These mtDNA patterns are, however, not shared with those inferred from nuclear DNA markers. The geographic location of major mitochondrial genetic breaks is consistent with those of other taxa, suggesting common responses to former landscape change in eastern South America, particularly along geological faults. Genetic differentiation is correlated with environmental turnover and geographic separation in one, but not in the other, group of skinks. Compared to other studies of similarly widely distributed organisms, the link between spatial environmental gradients and genetic differentiation is not as strong or consistent, suggesting a more complex history underlying current phylogeographic patterns. Our genetic data indicate the existence of yet undescribed diversity in wide-ranging lizards, and the value of phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies of similarly understudied species. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 03/10335-8 - Systematics and evolution of the herpetological fauna from Neotropical areas
• Grantee: Miguel Trefaut Urbano Rodrigues
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 11/50146-6 - Comparative phylogeography, phylogeny, paleoclimate modeling, and taxonomy of neotropical reptiles and amphibians
• Grantee: Miguel Trefaut Urbano Rodrigues
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/50297-0 - Dimensions US-BIOTA São Paulo: a multidisciplinary framework for biodiversity prediction in the Brazilian Atlantic forest hotspot
• Grantee: Cristina Yumi Miyaki
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants