0000000000132275
AUTHOR
Miguel Vences
Phylogeography of Ptychadena mascareniensis suggests transoceanic dispersal in a widespread African-Malagasy frog lineage
Aim The Mascarene ridged frog, Ptychadena mascareniensis, is the only African amphibian species thought to occur on Madagascar and on the Seychelles and also Mascarene islands. We explored its phylogenetic relationships and intraspecific genetic differentiation to contribute to the understanding of transoceanic dispersal in amphibians. Methods Fragments of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene were sequenced from specimens collected over most of the distribution area of P. mascareniensis, including populations from Madagascar, Mascarenes and Seychelles. Results We identified five deeply divergent clades having pairwise divergences >5%, which probably all represent cryptic species in a P. mascaren…
Testing alternative vicariance scenarios in Western Mediterranean discoglossid frogs
Dated molecular phylogenies are often used to interpret evolutionary history with respect to paleogeographic events. Where more than one interpretation is possible, it is desirable but difficult to assess the alternatives in an objective manner. The present work demonstrates a formalized method for testing molecular clock calibrations and biogeographic scenarios based on them. We assessed the plausibility of several previously published biogeographic hypotheses, using the frog genera Alytes, Discoglossus, and Bombina as model groups. Our data set comprised ca. 900bp of partial mitochondrial 16S and 12S rRNA gene sequences (both genes evolved in a clock-like manner across genera) from nearly…
Out of Asia: Mitochondrial DNA Evidence for an Oriental Origin of Tiger Frogs, Genus Hoplobatrachus
Most examples of intercontinental dispersal events after the Miocene contact between Africa and Asia involve mammal lineages. Among amphibians, a number of probably related groups are known from both continents, but their phylogenies are so far largely unresolved. To test the hypothesis of Miocene dispersal against a Mesozoic vicariance scenario in the context of Gondwana fragmentation, we analyzed fragments of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene (572 bp) in 40 specimens of 34 species of the anuran family Ranidae. Results corroborated the monophyly of tiger frogs (genus Hoplobatrachus), a genus with representatives in Africa and Asia. The African H. occipitalis was the sister group of the Asian…
Molecular phylogeny of Malagasy poison frogs, genus Mantella (Anura: Mantellidae): homoplastic evolution of colour pattern in aposematic amphibians
Abstract We studied the evolution of colour pattern in Malagasy poison frogs, genus Mantella , a group of diurnal and toxic frogs endemic to Madagascar. Based on a phylogeny reconstructed using 1130 bp of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, the genus can be divided into five species groups. Within some of these groups, interspecific genetic divergences were very low (1.2–2.8% sequence divergence) while colour patterns were markedly different. In contrast, Mantella madagascariensis and M . baroni , two species which show extremely similar dorsal coloration patterns, were not included in the same clade. This conclusion was supported by high bootstrap values and by significant rejection of altern…
Reconciling fossils and molecules: Cenozoic divergence of cichlid fishes and the biogeography of Madagascar
Aim The biogeographical origins of the extant vertebrates endemic to Madagascar are largely unsolved, but have often been related to vicariance in the context of fragmentation of the supercontinent Gondwana in the Mesozoic. Such hypotheses are especially appealing in the case of cichlid fishes, which show phylogenetic relationships reflecting the temporal successions of the breakup of Gondwana. We used molecular clock data to test this assumption. Location Fragments of the 16S rRNA gene and of the nuclear Tmo-4C4 locus, partly obtained from Genbank from South American, African, Malagasy and Indian cichlids were analysed. Methods Based on monophyletic cichlid radiations in African lakes, we …
First Data on the Molecular Phylogeography of Scincid Lizards of the Genus Mabuya
A 487-bp fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene was sequenced in 26 species of the circumtropical lizard genus Mabuya and used to analyze phylogenetic relationships within the genus. The species from Africa and Madagascar formed a monophyletic group relative to the included Asian and South American taxa. The Malagasy species included (M. elegans, M. cf. dumasi, and M. comorensis) did not appear as a monophylum. Combined and separate analysis of the 16S data and additional sequences of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA, ND4, and cytochrome b genes (a total of 2255 bp) in one Asian, two Malagasy, and two African species also did not result consistently in a monophyletic grouping of the Malagasy…
Convergent evolution of aposematic coloration in Neotropical poison frogs: a molecular phylogenetic perspective
Submitted by Guilherme Lemeszenski (guilherme@nead.unesp.br) on 2014-02-26T17:17:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 WOS000186417800006.pdf: 196897 bytes, checksum: cbe901a47807d22aec173ee8cc011a64 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-02-26T17:17:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 WOS000186417800006.pdf: 196897 bytes, checksum: cbe901a47807d22aec173ee8cc011a64 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003-01-01 Submitted by Vitor Silverio Rodrigues (vitorsrodrigues@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2014-05-20T13:59:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 WOS000186417800006.pdf: 196897 bytes, checksum: cbe901a47807d22aec173ee8cc011a64 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-20T13:59:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 WOS000186417800006.pdf: 196…
Phylogeny and classification of poison frogs (Amphibia: dendrobatidae), based on mitochondrial 16S and 12S ribosomal RNA gene sequences.
An analysis of partial sequences of the 16S ribosomal rRNA gene (582 bp) of 20 poison frog species (Dendrobatidae) confirmed their phylogenetic relationships to bufonid and leptodactylid frogs. Representatives of the ranoid families and subfamilies Raninae, Mantellinae, Petropedetinae, Cacosterninae, Arthroleptidae, Astylosternidae, and Microhylidae did not cluster as sister group of the Dendrobatidae. Similar results were obtained in an analysis using a partial sequence of the 12S gene (350 bp) in a reduced set of taxa and in a combined analysis. Within the Dendrobatidae, our data supported monophyly of the genus Phyllobates but indicated paraphyly of Epipedobates and Colostethus. Minyobat…
Mitochondrial DNA sequence data support the allocation of Greek mainland chameleons to Chamaeleo africanus
Arnold, E.N., Burton, J.A. (1978): Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe. London, Collins & Sons.Bruno, S., Maugeri, S. (1990): Guida ai serpenti d’ Italia e d’ Europa. Milano, Editoriale Giorgio Mondadori.Carpenter, C.C., Ferguson, G.W. (1977): Variation and evolution of stereotyped behaviour in reptiles. In: Biologyof theReptilia, Vol. 7, p. 335-554. Gans, C., Tinkle, D.W.,Eds, London, New York, San Francisco, AcademicPress.Tomaselli, R., Balduzzi, A., Filipello, S. (1973): Carta Bioclimatica d’ Italia. Collana Verde 33, MinisteroAgricoltura eForeste, Roma.
Exploring the potential of life-history key innovation: brook breeding in the radiation of the Malagasy treefrog genus Boophis
The treefrog genus Boophis is one of the most species-rich endemic amphibian groups of Madagascar. It consists of species specialized to breeding in brooks (48 species) and ponds (10 species). We reconstructed the phylogeny of Boophis using 16S ribosomal DNA sequences (558 bp) from 27 species. Brook-breeders were monophyletic and probably derived from an ancestral pond-breeding lineage. Pond-breeders were paraphyletic. The disparity in diversification among pond-breeders and brook-breeders was notable among endemic Malagasy frogs, although it was not significant when considering Boophis alone. Sibling species which have different advertisement calls but are virtually indistinguishable by mo…
Climatic oscillations triggered post-Messinian speciation of Western Palearctic brown frogs (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae)
Abstract Oscillating glacial cycles over the past 2.4 million years are proposed to have had a major impact on the diversity of contemporary species communities. We used mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data to infer phylogenetic relationships within Western Palearctic brown frogs and to test the influence of Pliocene and Pleistocene climatic changes on their evolution. We sequenced 1976 bp of the mitochondrial genes 16S rRNA and cytochrome b and of the nuclear rhodopsin gene for all current species and subspecies. Based on an established allozyme clock for Western Palearctic water frogs and substitution rate constancy among water frogs and brown frogs, we calibrated a molecular clock…
Molecular phylogeny of hyperoliid treefrogs: biogeographic origin of Malagasy and Seychellean taxa and re-analysis of familial paraphyly
Treefrogs of the family Hyperoliidae are distributed in Africa, Madagascar and the Seychelles. In this study, their phylogeny was studied using sequences of fragments of the mitochondrial 16Sand 12SrRNA and cytochrome b genes. The molecular data strongly confirmed monophyly of the subfamily Hyperoliinae but indicated that the genus Leptopelis (subfamily Leptopelinae) is more closely related to species of the African family Astylosternidae. The Seychellean genus Tachycnemis was the sister group of the Malagasy Heterixalus in all molecular analyses; this clade was deeply nested within the Hyperoliinae. A re-evaluation of the morphological data did not contradict the sister group relationships…
Multiple overseas dispersal in amphibians
Amphibians are thought to be unable to disperse over ocean barriers because they do not tolerate the osmotic stress of salt water. Their distribution patterns have therefore generally been explained by vicariance biogeography. Here, we present compelling evidence for overseas dispersal of frogs in the Indian Ocean region based on the discovery of two endemic species on Mayotte. This island belongs to the Comoro archipelago, which is entirely volcanic and surrounded by sea depths of more than 3500 m. This constitutes the first observation of endemic amphibians on oceanic islands that did not have any past physical contact to other land masses. The two species of frogs had previously been tho…