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Jadin RC, Mihaljevic JR, Orlofske SA. Do New World pitvipers "scale-down" at high elevations? Macroecological patterns of scale characters and body size. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:9362-9375. [PMID: 31463027 PMCID: PMC6706185 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bergmann's rule describes the macroecological pattern of increasing body size in response to higher latitudes and elevations. This pattern is extensively documented in endothermic vertebrates, within and among species; however, studies involving ectotherms are less common and suggest no consistent pattern for amphibians and reptiles. Moreover, adaptive traits, such as epidermal features like scales, have not been widely examined in conjunction with Bergmann's rule, even though these traits affect physiological processes, such as thermoregulation, which are hypothesized as underlying mechanisms for the pattern. Here, we investigate how scale characters correlate with elevation among 122 New World pitviper species, representing 15 genera. We found a contra-Bergmann's pattern, where body size is smaller at higher elevations. This pattern was mainly driven by the presence of small-bodied clades at high elevations and large-bodied clades at low elevations, emphasizing the importance of taxonomic scope in studying macroecological patterns. Within a subset of speciose clades, we found that only Crotalus demonstrated a significant negative relationship between body size and elevation, perhaps because of its wide elevational range. In addition, we found a positive correlation between scale counts and body size but no independent effect of elevation on scale numbers. Our study increases our knowledge of Bergmann's rule in reptiles by specifically examining characters of squamation and suggests a need to reexamine macroecological patterns for this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert C. Jadin
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Wisconsin Eau ClaireEau ClaireWIUSA
| | - Joseph R. Mihaljevic
- School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber SystemsNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffAZUSA
| | - Sarah A. Orlofske
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Wisconsin Stevens PointStevens PointWIUSA
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Cano EB, Schuster JC, Morrone JJ. Phylogenetics of Ogyges Kaup and the biogeography of Nuclear Central America (Coleoptera, Passalidae). Zookeys 2018; 737:81-111. [PMID: 29674874 PMCID: PMC5904369 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.737.20741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A phylogenetic morphological analysis of the genus Ogyges Kaup, distributed in Nuclear Central America, from Chiapas, Mexico, to northwestern Nicaragua was undertaken. Five species of Proculejus Kaup, distributed north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico, were selected as outgroup. Ogyges was recovered as monophyletic with three species groups: championi, laevissimus, and crassulus. Each species group shows a distinct, generally allopatric distribution. The O. championi species group, with ten species, is distributed in the Maya block, more specifically in the mountainous system north of the Motozintla-Comaltitlán fault in Chiapas, and north of the dry valleys of the Cuilco and Motagua rivers in Guatemala. The two remaining species groups are distributed in the Chortis block. The O. laevissimus species group, including seven species, ranges mostly along the Pacific Volcanic Chain from Guatemala to El Salvador, and from southeastern Honduras to the northwestern area of Nicaragua. The O. crassulus species group, with ten species, is distributed from northeastern Guatemala (Merendón) to northern Honduras. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico, the Motagua-Cuilco and Motozintla-Comaltitlán sutures zones in Chiapas and Guatemala, the lowland valleys of Colón and Comalí rivers between Nicaragua and Honduras (or, perhaps, the northern suture of the Siuna Terrane in Nicaragua), the Guayape fault system in Honduras, and the intricate dry valleys of Ulúa-Chamelecón-Olancho in Honduras, are hypothesized to have acted as barriers that affected the geographical distribution of Ogyges, as well as probably other montane organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enio B. Cano
- Museo de Zoología "Alfonso L. Herrera", Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Apdo. postal 70-399, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico
- Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Apartado Postal 82, 01901 Guatemala, Guatemala
- Museo de Historia Natural, Escuela de Biología, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Calle Mariscal Cruz, 1-56, zona 10, Guatemala, Guatemala
| | - Jack C. Schuster
- Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Apartado Postal 82, 01901 Guatemala, Guatemala
| | - Juan J. Morrone
- Museo de Zoología "Alfonso L. Herrera", Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Apdo. postal 70-399, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico
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4
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Clemente-Carvalho RB, Vaira M, King LE, Koscinski D, Bonansea MI, Lougheed SC. Phytogeographic patterns and cryptic diversity in an aposematic toad from NW Argentina. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2017; 116:248-256. [PMID: 28750851 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Revised: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The Yungas Redbelly Toad, Melanophryniscus rubriventris, is patchily distributed in Argentina, confined to the upland portion (1000-2000m above sea level) of the montane forests of northern and central regions of Salta, and in central-eastern and south-eastern Jujuy. This species is known for its striking aposematic color variation across its geographic distribution, and was once treated as a complex of three subspecies based on distinctive color patterns. Here we assess the geographical genetic variation within M. rubriventris and quantify divergence in color and pattern among individuals sampled from Northwestern Argentina. We compare multi-gene phylogeography of M. rubriventris to patterns of dorsal and ventral coloration to test whether evolutionary affinities predict variation in warning color. Our results reveal two well-supported species lineages: one confined to the extreme northern portion of our sampling area, and the other extending over most of the Argentine portion of the species' range, within which there are two populations. However, these well-supported evolutionary relationships do not mirror the marked variation in warning coloration. This discordance between DNA genealogy and warning color variation may reflect selection brought about by differences in local predation pressures, potentially coupled with effects of sexual selection and thermoregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marcos Vaira
- Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Jujuy, Conicet - Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Gorriti 237, 4600 S.S. de Jujuy, Argentina.
| | - Laura E King
- Wildlife Preservation Canada, 5420 Highway 6 North Guelph, Ontario, N1H 6J2, Canada.
| | - Daria Koscinski
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada.
| | - Maria I Bonansea
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Alberdi 47, 4600 S. S. de Jujuy, Argentina.
| | - Stephen C Lougheed
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada.
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5
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Pla D, Sanz L, Sasa M, Acevedo ME, Dwyer Q, Durban J, Pérez A, Rodriguez Y, Lomonte B, Calvete JJ. Proteomic analysis of venom variability and ontogeny across the arboreal palm-pitvipers (genus Bothriechis). J Proteomics 2016; 152:1-12. [PMID: 27777178 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2016.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Revised: 10/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Bothriechis is a genus of eleven currently recognized slender and arboreal venomous snakes, commonly called palm-pitvipers that range from southern Mexico to northern South America. Despite dietary studies suggesting that palm-pitvipers are generalists with an ontogenetic shift toward endothermic prey, venom proteomic analyses have revealed remarkable divergence between the venoms of the Costa Rican species, B. lateralis, B. schlegelii, B. supraciliaris, and B. nigroviridis. To achieve a more complete picture of the venomic landscape across Bothriechis, the venom proteomes of biodiversity of the northern Middle American highland palm-pitvipers, B. thalassinus, B. aurifer, and B. bicolor from Guatemala, B. marchi from Honduras, and neonate Costa Rican B. lateralis and B. schlegelii, were investigated. B. thalassinus and B. aurifer venoms are comprised by similar toxin arsenals dominated by SVMPs (33-39% of the venom proteome), CTLs (11-16%), BPP-like molecules (10-13%), and CRISPs (5-10%), and are characterized by the absence of PLA2 proteins. Conversely, the predominant (35%) components of B. bicolor are D49-PLA2 molecules. The venom proteome of B. marchi is similar to B. aurifer and B. thalassinus in that it is rich in SVMPs and BPPs, but also contains appreciable amounts (14.3%) of PLA2s. The major toxin family found in the venoms of both neonate B. lateralis and B. schlegelii, is serine proteinase (SVSP), comprising about 20% of their toxin arsenals. The venom of neonate B. schlegelii is the only palm-pitviper venom where relative high amounts of Kunitz-type (6.3%) and γPLA2 (5.2%) inhibitors have been identified. Despite notable differences between their proteomes, neonate venoms are more similar to each other than to adults of their respective species. However, the ontogenetic changes taking place in the venom of B. lateralis strongly differ from those that occur in the venom of B. schlegelii. Thus, the ontogenetic change in B. lateralis produces a SVMP-rich venom, whereas in B. schlegelii the age-dependent compositional shift generates a PLA2-rich venom. Overall, genus-wide venomics illustrate the high evolvability of palm-pitviper venoms. The integration of the pattern of venom variation across Bothriechis into a phylogenetic and biogeographic framework may lay the foundation for assessing, in future studies, the evolutionary path that led to the present-day variability of the venoms of palm-pitvipers. SIGNIFICANCE Bothriechis represents a monophyletic basal genus of eleven arboreal palm-pitvipers that range from southern Mexico to northern South America. Despite palm-pitvipers' putative status as diet generalists, previous proteomic analyses have revealed remarkable divergence between the venoms of Costa Rican species, B. lateralis, B. schlegelii, B. supraciliaris, and B. nigroviridis. Our current proteomic study of Guatemalan species, B. thalassinus, B. aurifer, and B. bicolor, Honduran B. marchi, and neonate B. lateralis and B. schlegelii from Costa Rica was undertaken to deepen our understanding of the evolutionary pattern of venom proteome diversity across Bothriechis. Ancestral characters are often, but not always, preserved in an organism's development. Venoms of neonate B. lateralis and B. schlegelii are more similar to each other than to adults of their respective species, suggesting that the high evolvability of palm-pitviper venoms may represent an inherent feature of Bothriechis common ancestor. Our genus-wide data identified four nodes of venom phenotype differentiation across the phylogeny of Bothriechis. Integrated into a phylogenetic and biogeographic framework, the pattern of venom variation across Bothriechis may lay the groundwork to establish whether divergence was driven by selection for efficient resource exploitation in arboreal 'islands', thereby contributing to the ecological speciation of the genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davinia Pla
- Structural and Functional Venomics Laboratory, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, CSIC, Valencia, Spain
| | - Libia Sanz
- Structural and Functional Venomics Laboratory, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, CSIC, Valencia, Spain
| | - Mahmood Sasa
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Manuel E Acevedo
- Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas, Centro de Datos para la Conservacion, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
| | - Quetzal Dwyer
- Parque Reptilandia, Platanillo between Dominical & San Isidro, 8000 Dominical, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
| | - Jordi Durban
- Structural and Functional Venomics Laboratory, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, CSIC, Valencia, Spain
| | - Alicia Pérez
- Structural and Functional Venomics Laboratory, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, CSIC, Valencia, Spain
| | - Yania Rodriguez
- Structural and Functional Venomics Laboratory, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, CSIC, Valencia, Spain
| | - Bruno Lomonte
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.
| | - Juan J Calvete
- Structural and Functional Venomics Laboratory, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, CSIC, Valencia, Spain.
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Hendry CR, Guiher TJ, Pyron RA. Ecological divergence and sexual selection drive sexual size dimorphism in new world pitvipers (Serpentes: Viperidae). J Evol Biol 2014; 27:760-71. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2013] [Revised: 01/14/2014] [Accepted: 01/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- C. R. Hendry
- Department of Biological Sciences; The George Washington University; Washington DC USA
| | - T. J. Guiher
- Department of Herpetology and Richard Gilder Graduate School; American Museum of Natural History; New York NY USA
| | - R. A. Pyron
- Department of Biological Sciences; The George Washington University; Washington DC USA
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