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Lyu B, Liu Q, Wu Y, Nguyen TQ, Che J, Nguyen SN, Myers EA, Burbrink FT, Guo P, Wang J. Genomic analysis reveals deep population divergence in the water snake Trimerodytes percarinatus (Serpentes, Natricidae). Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11278. [PMID: 38628918 PMCID: PMC11019134 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Although several phylogeographic studies of Asian snakes have been conducted, most have focused on pitvipers, with non-venomous snakes, such as colubrids or natricids, remaining poorly studied. The Chinese keelback water snake (Trimerodytes percarinatus Boulenger) is a widespread, semiaquatic, non-venomous species occurring in China and southeastern Asia. Based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data, we explored the population genetic structure, genetic diversity, and evolutionary history of this species. MtDNA-based phylogenetic analysis showed that T. percarinatus was composed of five highly supported and geographically structured lineages. SNP-based phylogenetic analysis, principal component analysis, and population structure analysis consistently revealed four distinct, geographically non-overlapping lineages, which was different from the mtDNA-based analysis in topology. Estimation of divergence dates and ancestral area of origin suggest that T. percarinatus originated ~12.68 million years ago (95% highest posterior density: 10.36-15.96 Mya) in a region covering southwestern China and Vietnam. Intraspecific divergence may have been triggered by the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau uplift. Population demographics and ecological niche modeling indicated that the effective population size fluctuated during 0.5 Mya and 0.002 Mya. Based on the data collected here, we also comment on the intraspecific taxonomy of T. percarinatus and question the validity of the subspecies T. p. suriki.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Lyu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life SciencesHainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
- Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Food EngineeringYibin UniversityYibinChina
| | - Qin Liu
- Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Food EngineeringYibin UniversityYibinChina
| | - Yayong Wu
- Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Food EngineeringYibin UniversityYibinChina
| | - Truong Q. Nguyen
- Institute of Ecology and Biological ResourcesVietnam Academy of Science and TechnologyHanoiVietnam
- Vietnam Academy of Science and TechnologyGraduate University of Science and TechnologyHanoiVietnam
| | - Jing Che
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecological Conservation of Gaoligong Mountain, Kunming Institute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
| | - Sang N. Nguyen
- Institute of Tropical BiologyVietnam Academy of Science and TechnologyHo Chi Minh CityVietnam
| | - Edward A. Myers
- Department of HerpetologyCalifornia Academy of SciencesSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Frank T. Burbrink
- Department of HerpetologyAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Peng Guo
- Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Food EngineeringYibin UniversityYibinChina
| | - Jichao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life SciencesHainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
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2
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Bernstein JM, Voris HK, Stuart BL, Karns DR, McGuire JA, Iskandar DT, Riyanto A, Calderón-Acevedo CA, Brown RM, Gehara M, Soto-Centeno JA, Ruane S. Integrative methods reveal multiple drivers of diversification in rice paddy snakes. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4727. [PMID: 38472264 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54744-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Divergence dating analyses in systematics provide a framework to develop and test biogeographic hypotheses regarding speciation. However, as molecular datasets grow from multilocus to genomic, sample sizes decrease due to computational burdens, and the testing of fine-scale biogeographic hypotheses becomes difficult. In this study, we use coalescent demographic models to investigate the diversification of poorly known rice paddy snakes from Southeast Asia (Homalopsidae: Hypsiscopus), which have conflicting dates of origin based on previous studies. We use coalescent modeling to test the hypothesis that Hypsiscopus diversified 2.5 mya during the Khorat Plateau uplift in Thailand. Additionally, we use ecological niche analyses to identify potential differences in the niche space of the two most widely distributed species in the past and present. Our results suggest Hypsiscopus diversified ~ 2.4 mya, supporting that the Khorat Plateau may have initiated the diversification of rice paddy snakes. We also find significant niche differentiation and shifts between species of Hypsiscopus, indicating that environmental differences may have sustained differentiation of this genus after the Khorat Plateau uplift. Our study expands on the diversification history of snakes in Southeast Asia, and highlights how results from smaller multilocus datasets can be useful in developing and testing biogeographic hypotheses alongside genomic datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin M Bernstein
- Center for Genomics, University of Kansas, Dyche Hall, 1345 Jayhawk Blvd, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA.
| | - Harold K Voris
- Life Sciences Section, Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
| | - Bryan L Stuart
- Section of Research and Collections, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, 27601, USA
| | - Daryl R Karns
- Biology Department, Hanover College, Hanover, IN, 47243, USA
| | - Jimmy A McGuire
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Djoko T Iskandar
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia
| | - Awal Riyanto
- Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Center for Biology, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN), Cibinong, 16911, Indonesia
| | - Camilo A Calderón-Acevedo
- State University of New York: College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA
| | - Rafe M Brown
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - Marcelo Gehara
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA
| | - J Angel Soto-Centeno
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA
- Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA
| | - Sara Ruane
- Life Sciences Section, Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
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Shi BY, Pan D, Zhang KQ, Gu TY, Yeo DCJ, Ng PKL, Cumberlidge N, Sun HY. Diversification of freshwater crabs on the sky islands in the Hengduan Mountains Region, China. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2024; 190:107955. [PMID: 37898294 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
The numerous naturally-fragmented sky islands (SIs) in the Hengduan Mountains Region (HMR) of southwestern China constitute discontinuous landscapes where montane habitats are isolated by dry-hot valleys which have fostered exceptional species diversification and endemicity. However, studies documenting the crucial role of SI on the speciation dynamics of native freshwater organisms are scarce. Here we used a novel set of comprehensive genetic markers (24 nuclear DNA sequences and complete mitogenomes), morphological characters, and biogeographical information to reveal the evolutionary history and speciation mechanisms of a group of small-bodied montane potamids in the genus Tenuipotamon. Our results provide a robustly supported phylogeny, and suggest that the vicariance events of these montane crabs correlate well with the emergence of SIs due to the uplift of the HMR during the Late Oligocene. Furthermore, ancestrally, mountain ridges provided corridors for the dispersal of these montane crabs that led to the colonization of moist montane-specific habitats, aided by past climatic conditions that were the crucial determinants of their evolutionary history. The present results illustrated that the mechanisms isolating SIs are reinforced by the harsh-dry isolating climatic features of dry-hot valleys separating SIs and continue to affect local diversification. This offers insights into the causes of the high biodiversity and endemism shown by the freshwater crabs of the HMR-SIs in southwestern China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-Yang Shi
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Da Pan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Kang-Qin Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Tian-Yu Gu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Darren C J Yeo
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117558, Republic of Singapore; Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, 2 Conservatory Drive, Singapore 117377, Republic of Singapore
| | - Peter K L Ng
- Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, 2 Conservatory Drive, Singapore 117377, Republic of Singapore
| | - Neil Cumberlidge
- Department of Biology, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI 49855, USA
| | - Hong-Ying Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
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4
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Tran DV, Vu TT, Fukutani K, Nishikawa K. Demographic and ecological niche dynamics of the Vietnam warty newt, Paramesotriton deloustali: Historical climate influences. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290044. [PMID: 37594998 PMCID: PMC10437943 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Quaternary climatic cycles strongly affected the genetic diversification and ranges of organisms, shaping current genetic structures and distribution patterns. Urodeles provide ideal examples for exploring these dynamics over time and across space. In this study, we integrated a phylogeographic approach and ensemble species distribution modeling (eSDM) to infer the historical demography and distribution patterns of the Vietnam warty newt, Paramesotriton deloustali. Mitochondrial data revealed two groups, West and East, which diverged approximately 1.92 million years ago (Mya). Diversification was likely driven by change in the climate during early stages of the Pleistocene, with increasing monsoon and drought intensities. Biogeographic analysis indicated that the newt's current distribution formed as a result of vicariance events. In addition, the two groups occupy distinct ecological niches. Demographic reconstruction showed signs of expansion in the effective population sizes of the two major groups beginning around 0.11 and 0.15 Mya, respectively. However, eSDM showed fluctuating predicted distributions during the last interglacial, last glacial maximum, mid-Holocene, and present. Mountain systems in northern Vietnam are likely to have served as climatic refuges and to have played a crucial role in safeguarding species from the effects of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dung Van Tran
- Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Wildlife Department, Vietnam National University of Forestry, Ha Noi, Vietnam
| | - Thinh Tien Vu
- Wildlife Department, Vietnam National University of Forestry, Ha Noi, Vietnam
| | - Kazumi Fukutani
- Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kanto Nishikawa
- Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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5
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Guo P, Wang P, Lyu B, Liu Q, Zheng J, Fu C, Wu Y, Shu G, Hou S. Molecular phylogeny reveals cryptic diversity in Sibynophis from China (Serpentes: Sibynophiidae). Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10367. [PMID: 37529581 PMCID: PMC10375455 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The elucidation of species diversity and distribution is critical within the fields of evolution, genetics, and conservation. The genus Sibynophis contains rare snakes that have historically received little attention. In this study, we conducted comprehensive sampling and use both mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers to explore Sibynophis species diversity within China. Our findings revealed that S. c. miyiensis should be considered synonymous with S. c. grahami, and S. c. grahami should be gave a specific rank as S. grahami. In addition, we discovered S. triangularis was new to China and Myanmar. Based on the specimens and molecular phylogeny results, we redefined the species distribution boundaries of each Chinese species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Guo
- Faculty of Agriculture, Forest and Food EngineeringYibin UniversityYibinChina
| | - Ping Wang
- Sichuan Academy of ForestryChengduChina
| | - Bing Lyu
- Faculty of Agriculture, Forest and Food EngineeringYibin UniversityYibinChina
| | - Qin Liu
- Faculty of Agriculture, Forest and Food EngineeringYibin UniversityYibinChina
| | - Jieyu Zheng
- Faculty of Agriculture, Forest and Food EngineeringYibin UniversityYibinChina
| | - Chunmei Fu
- Faculty of Agriculture, Forest and Food EngineeringYibin UniversityYibinChina
| | - Yayong Wu
- Faculty of Agriculture, Forest and Food EngineeringYibin UniversityYibinChina
| | - Guocheng Shu
- Faculty of Agriculture, Forest and Food EngineeringYibin UniversityYibinChina
| | - Shaobing Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecological Conservation of Gaoligong MountainKunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
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6
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Bernstein JM, Ruane S. Maximizing Molecular Data From Low-Quality Fluid-Preserved Specimens in Natural History Collections. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.893088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past decade, museum genomics studies have focused on obtaining DNA of sufficient quality and quantity for sequencing from fluid-preserved natural history specimens, primarily to be used in systematic studies. While these studies have opened windows to evolutionary and biodiversity knowledge of many species worldwide, published works often focus on the success of these DNA sequencing efforts, which is undoubtedly less common than obtaining minimal or sometimes no DNA or unusable sequence data from specimens in natural history collections. Here, we attempt to obtain and sequence DNA extracts from 115 fresh and 41 degraded samples of homalopsid snakes, as well as from two degraded samples of a poorly known snake, Hydrablabes periops. Hydrablabes has been suggested to belong to at least two different families (Natricidae and Homalopsidae) and with no fresh tissues known to be available, intractable museum specimens currently provide the only opportunity to determine this snake’s taxonomic affinity. Although our aim was to generate a target-capture dataset for these samples, to be included in a broader phylogenetic study, results were less than ideal due to large amounts of missing data, especially using the same downstream methods as with standard, high-quality samples. However, rather than discount results entirely, we used mapping methods with references and pseudoreferences, along with phylogenetic analyses, to maximize any usable molecular data from our sequencing efforts, identify the taxonomic affinity of H. periops, and compare sequencing success between fresh and degraded tissue samples. This resulted in largely complete mitochondrial genomes for five specimens and hundreds to thousands of nuclear loci (ultra-conserved loci, anchored-hybrid enrichment loci, and a variety of loci frequently used in squamate phylogenetic studies) from fluid-preserved snakes, including a specimen of H. periops from the Field Museum of Natural History collection. We combined our H. periops data with previously published genomic and Sanger-sequenced datasets to confirm the familial designation of this taxon, reject previous taxonomic hypotheses, and make biogeographic inferences for Hydrablabes. A second H. periops specimen, despite being seemingly similar for initial raw sequencing results and after being put through the same protocols, resulted in little usable molecular data. We discuss the successes and failures of using different pipelines and methods to maximize the products from these data and provide expectations for others who are looking to use DNA sequencing efforts on specimens that likely have degraded DNA.Life Science Identifier (Hydrablabes periops)urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F2AA44 E2-D2EF-4747-972A-652C34C2C09D.
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7
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Wen H, Luo T, Wang Y, Wang S, Liu T, Xiao N, Zhou J. Molecular phylogeny and historical biogeography of the cave fish genus Sinocyclocheilus (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) in southwest China. Integr Zool 2021; 17:311-325. [PMID: 34958525 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Modern accumulations of genetic data offer unprecedented opportunities for understanding the systematic classification and origins of specific groups of organisms. The genus Sinocyclocheilus is among the most cave abundant genera in Cyprinidae, with 76 recognized species, belonging to four species groups. Recent phylogenetic studies have shown that the classification of species groups within the genus Sinocyclocheilus remains controversial. In this study, we constructed a sequence supermatrix of 26 species from four species groups of the genus Sinocyclocheilus using the mitochondrial genome to reveal phylogenetic relationships, historical biogeography and patterns of species diversification in the genus Sinocyclocheilus. Phylogenetic analysis strongly supports the monophyletic groups of the three species groups (S. jii, S. cyphotergous, and S. tingi groups) except the S. angularis group. Phylogenetic analysis showed that S. anshuiensis and S. microphthalmus, which were recognized as numbers of S. angularis group, formed a strongly supported independent clade. Therefore, we propose a new species group, the S. microphthalmus group, which contains S. anshuiensis and S. microphthalmus. Biogeographic reconstruction suggests that the living Sinocyclocheilus may have originated in north-central Guangxi at the late Eocene and dispersed outward after a vicariance at 32.31 Million years ago (Ma). Early diversification is focused on the late Oligocene (ca. 25 Ma), which is related to the second uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and the lateral extrusion of the Indochina at the Oligocene/Miocene boundary. Our results suggest that two uplifts of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and climate change in the Miocene may have influenced the diversification of the Sinocyclocheilus lineage. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huamei Wen
- School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.,School of Karst Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Tao Luo
- School of Karst Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Yali Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Siwei Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Tao Liu
- Liupanshui No. 4 Higth School, Liupanshui, China
| | - Ning Xiao
- Guiyang Nursing Vocational College, Guiyang, China
| | - Jiang Zhou
- School of Karst Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
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Deepak V, Cooper N, Poyarkov NA, Kraus F, Burin G, Das A, Narayanan S, Streicher JW, Smith SJ, Gower DJ. Multilocus phylogeny, natural history traits and classification of natricine snakes (Serpentes: Natricinae). Zool J Linn Soc 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Natricine snakes are geographically widespread, species rich (with ~250 extant species) and both morphologically and ecologically diverse. We present a multilocus DNA sequence phylogeny for 249 natricine specimens representing 189 named species, including 69 specimens and 21 species not previously sampled. Our inferred Bayesian and maximum likelihood trees form the basis for evaluations of genus-level classification, historical biogeography, lineage diversification, and dietary, habit and reproductive-mode diversity and evolution, although several, mostly deeper, relationships remain poorly resolved. The optimal trees support natricine origins in Asia, with dispersals to Australo-Melanesia, sub-Saharan Africa (including Seychelles Archipelago, excluding Aldabra), Europe and North Africa and into North and Central America. Viviparity appears to have evolved independently three times in Natricinae but was not significantly associated with an aquatic habit. We found limited associations between habit and diet categories. We propose generic reallocations for four natricine species and highlight other points of uncertainty in natricine classification.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Deepak
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Senckenberg Dresden, Königsbrücker Landstraße, Dresden, Germany
| | - Natalie Cooper
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Nikolay A Poyarkov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Joint Russian–Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technological Center, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Fred Kraus
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Gustavo Burin
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Abhijit Das
- Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun, India
| | - Surya Narayanan
- Suri Sehgal Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Srirampura, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | | | - Sarah-Jane Smith
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Imperial College London, South Kensington, London, UK
| | - David J Gower
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
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Zhu G, Yang S, Savitzky AH, Cheng Y, Mori A, Ding L, Rao D, Wang Q. Cryptic diversity and phylogeography of the Rhabdophis nuchalis group (Squamata: Colubridae). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2021; 166:107325. [PMID: 34655748 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies, have found that the rapid uplift of the Tibetan plateau accelerated the diversification of species. However, there are few relevant biogeographic data for the Colubridae in this region. We conducted a comprehensive study of the Rhabdophis nuchalis Group, which presently contains four nominal species, R. nuchalis, R. pentasupralabialis, R. leonardi, and R. chiwen. Building upon previous studies with specimens we have recently examined, greater interspecific and intraspecific diversity has been revealed. Here we address three questions: (1) Do the intraspecific differences represent only geographic variation within lineages, or are there cryptic species? (2) What are the interspecific relationships among members of the R. nuchalis Group? (3) What has been the biogeographic history of this species group? To resolve these questions we used four mitochondrial gene sequences and one nuclear sequence to investigate the molecular phylogenetic and geographic relationships among populations. Our molecular analysis reveals cryptic species diversity within the R. nuchalis Group, and seven clades were identified in the analysis. Ancestral area estimation suggests that the R. nuchalis Group originated in the Hengduan Mountains approximately 6.24 Mya and expanded its range northward to the Qinling-Daba Mountains. The Sichuan Basin appears to have been a barrier to migration. Species divergence seems to have been related to the rapid uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangxiang Zhu
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an 625014, China.
| | - Shijun Yang
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an 625014, China
| | - Alan H Savitzky
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5305, USA
| | - Yuqi Cheng
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an 625014, China
| | - Akira Mori
- Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Li Ding
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Dingqi Rao
- Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Qin Wang
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an 625014, China.
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