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Clause AG, Luna-Reyes R, Mendoza-Velázquez OM, Nieto-Montes de Oca A, Solano-Zavaleta I. Bridging the gap: A new species of arboreal Abronia (Squamata: Anguidae) from the Northern Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0295230. [PMID: 38170723 PMCID: PMC10763973 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295230] [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: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The mountain forests of Middle America are renowned for their endemic biodiversity, and arboreal alligator lizards (genus Abronia) are high-profile vertebrates endemic to this region. In this work, we describe a new species of arboreal Abronia that is known only from the type locality in the Northern Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. The new species is diagnosed from all other members of the genus Abronia by the following combination of characters: lack of protuberant or spine-like supra-auricular scales, lack of protuberant or casque-like posterolateral head scales, dorsum of head pale yellow with distinct dark markings, 35-39 transverse dorsal scale rows, lateralmost row of ventral scales enlarged relative to adjacent medial row, and dorsum brown with darker crossbands that are sometimes reduced to rows of spots. We provisionally include the new species in the subgenus Lissabronia based on genomic and morphological evidence, but our results also suggest a close relationship to the subgenus Abaculabronia. The new species is geographically separated from the nearest Lissabronia and Abaculabronia species by the lowland Central Depression of Chiapas. Ongoing habitat loss and other factors imperil the new species, leading us to propose its listing under multiple threatened species frameworks. Because the Northern Highlands have poor coverage of protected areas, we briefly comment on the potential of this new species for stimulating conservation in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam G. Clause
- Department of Herpetology, San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Roberto Luna-Reyes
- Dirección de Áreas Naturales y Vida Silvestre, Secretaría de Medio Ambiente e Historia Natural, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México
| | - Oscar M. Mendoza-Velázquez
- Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México
| | - Adrián Nieto-Montes de Oca
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Israel Solano-Zavaleta
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
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McCormack JE, Hill MM, DeRaad DA, Kirsch EJ, Reckling KR, Mutchler MJ, Ramirez BR, Campbell RML, Salter JF, Pizarro AK, Tsai WLE, Bonaccorso E. An elevational shift facilitated the Mesoamerican diversification of Azure-hooded Jays ( Cyanolyca cucullata) during the Great American Biotic Interchange. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10411. [PMID: 37589041 PMCID: PMC10425738 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10411] [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: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) was a key biogeographic event in the history of the Americas. The rising of the Panamanian land bridge ended the isolation of South America and ushered in a period of dispersal, mass extinction, and new community assemblages, which sparked competition, adaptation, and speciation. Diversification across many bird groups, and the elevational zonation of others, ties back to events triggered by the GABI. But the exact timing of these events is still being revealed, with recent studies suggesting a much earlier time window for faunal exchange, perhaps as early as 20 million years ago (Mya). Using a time-calibrated phylogenetic tree, we show that the jay genus Cyanolyca is emblematic of bird dispersal trends, with an early, pre-land bridge dispersal from Mesoamerica to South America 6.3-7.3 Mya, followed by a back-colonization of C. cucullata to Mesoamerica 2.3-4.8 Mya, likely after the land bridge was complete. As Cyanolyca species came into contact in Mesoamerica, they avoided competition due to a prior shift to lower elevation in the ancestor of C. cucullata. This shift allowed C. cucullata to integrate itself into the Mesoamerican highland avifauna, which our time-calibrated phylogeny suggests was already populated by higher-elevation, congeneric dwarf-jays (C. argentigula, C. pumilo, C. mirabilis, and C. nanus). The outcome of these events and fortuitous elevational zonation was that C. cucullata could continue colonizing new highland areas farther north during the Pleistocene. Resultingly, four C. cucullata lineages became isolated in allopatric, highland regions from Panama to Mexico, diverging in genetics, morphology, plumage, and vocalizations. At least two of these lineages are best described as species (C. mitrata and C. cucullata). Continued study will further document the influence of the GABI and help clarify how dispersal and vicariance shaped modern-day species assemblages in the Americas.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E. McCormack
- Moore Laboratory of ZoologyOccidental CollegeLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Molly M. Hill
- Moore Laboratory of ZoologyOccidental CollegeLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Devon A. DeRaad
- Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of KansasLawrenceKansasUSA
| | - Eliza J. Kirsch
- Moore Laboratory of ZoologyOccidental CollegeLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | | | | | - Brenda R. Ramirez
- Moore Laboratory of ZoologyOccidental CollegeLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Jessie F. Salter
- Moore Laboratory of ZoologyOccidental CollegeLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
- Ornithology DepartmentNatural History Museum of Los Angeles CountyLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Alana K. Pizarro
- Moore Laboratory of ZoologyOccidental CollegeLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Elisa Bonaccorso
- Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y AmbientalesUniversidad San Francisco de QuitoQuitoEcuador
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3
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León‐Tapia MÁ, Rico Y, Fernández JA, Arellano E, Espinosa de los Monteros A. Role of Pleistocene climatic oscillations on genetic differentiation and evolutionary history of the Transvolcanic deer mouse
Peromyscus hylocetes
(Rodentia: Cricetidae) throughout the Mexican central highlands. J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Ángel León‐Tapia
- Laboratorio de Sistemática Filogenética, Biología Evolutiva Instituto de Ecología A.C Xalapa Mexico
| | - Yessica Rico
- Red de Diversidad Biológica del Occidente Mexicano Instituto de Ecología, A.C. Pátzcuaro Mexico
| | - Jesús A. Fernández
- Departamento de Recursos Naturales Facultad de Zootecnia y Ecología Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua Chihuahua Mexico
| | - Elizabeth Arellano
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos Cuernavaca Morelos Mexico
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García‐Sotelo UA, García‐Vázquez UO, Espinosa D. Historical biogeography of the genus Rhadinaea (Squamata: Dipsadinae). Ecol Evol 2021; 11:12413-12428. [PMID: 34594509 PMCID: PMC8462180 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple geological and climatic events have created geographical or ecological barriers associated with speciation events, playing a role in biological diversification in North and Central America. Here, we evaluate the influence of the Neogene and Quaternary geological events, as well as the climatic changes in the diversification of the colubrid snake genus Rhadinaea using molecular dating and ancestral area reconstruction. A multilocus sequence dataset was generated for 37 individuals of Rhadinaea from most of the biogeographical provinces where the genus is distributed, representing 19 of the 21 currently recognized species, and two undescribed species. Our analyses show that the majority of the Rhadinaea species nest in two main clades, herein identified as "Eastern" and "Southern". These clades probably diverged from each other in the early Miocene, and their divergence was followed by 11 divergences during the middle to late Miocene, three divergences during the Pliocene, and six divergences in the Pleistocene. The ancestral distribution of Rhadinaea was reconstructed across the Sierra Madre del Sur. Our phylogenetic analyses do not support the monophyly of Rhadinaea. The Miocene and Pliocene geomorphology, perhaps in conjunction with climate change, appears to have triggered the diversification of the genus, while the climatic changes during the Miocene probably induced the diversification of Rhadinaea in the Sierra Madre del Sur. Our analysis suggests that the uplifting of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and Chiapan-Guatemalan highlands in this same period resulted in northward and southward colonization events. This was followed by more recent, independent colonization events in the Pliocene and Pleistocene involving the Balsas Basin, Chihuahuan Desert, Pacific Coast, Sierra Madre Occidental, Sierra Madre Oriental, Sierra Madre del Sur, Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, and Veracruz provinces, probably driven by the climatic fluctuations of the time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uriel A. García‐Sotelo
- Posgrado en Ciencias BiológicasUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoCiudad de MéxicoMexico
- Facultad de Estudios Superiores ZaragozaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoCiudad de MéxicoMexico
| | - Uri O. García‐Vázquez
- Facultad de Estudios Superiores ZaragozaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoCiudad de MéxicoMexico
| | - David Espinosa
- Facultad de Estudios Superiores ZaragozaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoCiudad de MéxicoMexico
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Zamudio-Beltrán LE, Licona-Vera Y, Hernández-Baños BE, Klicka J, Ornelas JF. Phylogeography of the widespread white-eared hummingbird (Hylocharis leucotis): pre-glacial expansion and genetic differentiation of populations separated by the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe Pleistocene glacial cycles had a strong influence on the demography and genetic structure of many species, particularly on northern-latitude taxa. Here we studied the phylogeography of the white-eared hummingbird (Hylocharis leucotis), a widely distributed species of the highlands of Mexico and Central America. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences was combined with ecological niche modelling (ENM) to infer the demographic and population differentiation scenarios under present and past conditions. Analyses of 108 samples from 11 geographic locations revealed population structure and genetic differentiation among populations separated by the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (IT) and the Motagua-Polochic-Jocotán (MPJ) fault barriers. ENM predicted a widespread distribution of suitable habitat for H. leucotis since the Last Inter Glacial (LIG), but this habitat noticeably contracted and fragmented at the IT. Models for historical dispersal corridors based on population genetics data and ENM revealed the existence of corridors among populations west of the IT; however, the connectivity of populations across the IT has changed little since the LIG. The shallow geographic structure on either side of the isthmus and a star-like haplotype network, combined with the long-term persistence of populations across time based on genetic data and potential dispersal routes, support a scenario of divergence with migration and subsequent isolation and differentiation in Chiapas and south of the MPJ fault. Our findings corroborate the profound effects of Pleistocene climatic fluctuations on the evolutionary history of montane taxa but challenge the generality of expanded suitable habitat (pine-oak forests) during glacial cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luz E Zamudio-Beltrán
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Yuyini Licona-Vera
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Asociación Civil (INECOL), Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Blanca E Hernández-Baños
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - John Klicka
- Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Juan Francisco Ornelas
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Asociación Civil (INECOL), Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
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Peñaloza‐Ramírez JM, Rodríguez‐Correa H, González‐Rodríguez A, Rocha‐Ramírez V, Oyama K. High genetic diversity and stable Pleistocene distributional ranges in the widespread Mexican red oak Quercus castanea Née (1801) (Fagaceae). Ecol Evol 2020; 10:4204-4219. [PMID: 32489590 PMCID: PMC7246204 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Revised: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Mexican highlands are areas of high biological complexity where taxa of Nearctic and Neotropical origin and different population histories are found. To gain a more detailed view of the evolution of the biota in these regions, it is necessary to evaluate the effects of historical tectonic and climate events on species. Here, we analyzed the phylogeographic structure, historical demographic processes, and the contemporary period, Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and Last Interglacial (LIG) ecological niche models of Quercus castanea, to infer the historical population dynamics of this oak distributed in the Mexican highlands. A total of 36 populations of Q. castanea were genotyped with seven chloroplast microsatellite loci in four recognized biogeographic provinces of Mexico: the Sierra Madre Occidental (western mountain range), the Central Plateau, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB, mountain range crossing central Mexico from west to east) and the Sierra Madre del Sur (SMS, southern mountain range). We obtained standard statistics of genetic diversity and structure and tested for signals of historical demographic expansions. A total of 90 haplotypes were identified, and 29 of these haplotypes were restricted to single populations. The within-population genetic diversity was high (mean h S = 0.72), and among-population genetic differentiation showed a strong phylogeographic structure (N ST = 0.630 > G ST = 0.266; p < .001). Signals of demographic expansion were identified in the TMVB and the SMS. The ecological niche models suggested a considerable percentage of stable distribution area for the species during the LGM and connectivity between the TMVB and the SMS. High genetic diversity, strong phylogeographic structure, and ecological niche models suggest in situ permanence of Q. castanea populations with large effective population sizes. The complex geological and climatic histories of the TMVB help to explain the origin and maintenance of a large proportion of the genetic diversity in this oak species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Manuel Peñaloza‐Ramírez
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores (ENES) Unidad MoreliaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)MoreliaMéxico
| | - Hernando Rodríguez‐Correa
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores (ENES) Unidad MoreliaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)MoreliaMéxico
| | | | | | - Ken Oyama
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores (ENES) Unidad MoreliaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)MoreliaMéxico
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7
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Zarza E, Connors EM, Maley JM, Tsai WLE, Heimes P, Kaplan M, McCormack JE. Combining ultraconserved elements and mtDNA data to uncover lineage diversity in a Mexican highland frog ( Sarcohyla; Hylidae). PeerJ 2018; 6:e6045. [PMID: 30581665 PMCID: PMC6294053 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular studies have uncovered significant diversity in the Mexican Highlands, leading to the description of many new endemic species. DNA approaches to this kind of species discovery have included both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing and multilocus genomic methods. While these marker types have often been pitted against one another, there are benefits to deploying them together, as linked mtDNA data can provide the bridge between uncovering lineages through rigorous multilocus genomic analysis and identifying lineages through comparison to existing mtDNA databases. Here, we apply one class of multilocus genomic marker, ultraconserved elements (UCEs), and linked mtDNA data to a species complex of frogs (Sarcohyla bistincta, Hylidae) found in the Mexican Highlands. We generated data from 1,891 UCEs, which contained 1,742 informative SNPs for S. bistincta and closely related species and captured mitochondrial genomes for most samples. Genetic analyses based on both whole loci and SNPs agree there are six to seven distinct lineages within what is currently described as S. bistincta. Phylogenies from UCEs and mtDNA mostly agreed in their topologies, and the few differences suggested a more complex evolutionary history of the mtDNA marker. Our study demonstrates that the Mexican Highlands still hold substantial undescribed diversity, making their conservation a particularly urgent goal. The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Range stands out as a significant geographic feature in Sarcohyla and may have acted as a dispersal corridor for S. bistincta to spread to the north. Combining multilocus genomic data with linked mtDNA data is a useful approach for identifying potential new species and associating them with already described taxa, which will be especially important in groups with undescribed subadult phenotypes and cryptic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenia Zarza
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth M Connors
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - James M Maley
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Whitney L E Tsai
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | | | | | - John E McCormack
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
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8
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Venkatraman MX, Deraad DA, Tsai WLE, Zarza E, Zellmer AJ, Maley JM, Mccormack JE. Cloudy with a chance of speciation: integrative taxonomy reveals extraordinary divergence within a Mesoamerican cloud forest bird. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Madhvi X Venkatraman
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Biology Department, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Devon A Deraad
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Biology Department, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Whitney L E Tsai
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Eugenia Zarza
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - James M Maley
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - John E Mccormack
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Biology Department, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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