Pleistocene climatic changes drive diversification across a tropical savanna

Potter, Sally; Xue, Alexander T.; Bragg, Jason G.; Rosauer, Dan F.; Roycroft, Emily; Moritz, Craig

doi:10.1111/mec.14441

Cited by 40 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…Australia underwent significant climatic oscillations throughout the Pliocene and Pleistocene (Byrne et al., , ), affecting traits, distributions, and diversification of contemporary species (Potter et al. ). During this time, species in the Pseudomys Division repeatedly colonized the expanding and contracting arid, monsoon, and mesic biomes (Smissen and Rowe ), and the optimum body size of species in the Pseudomys Division shifted in response to these transitions, resulting in a high λ value.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environment predicts repeated body size shifts in a recent radiation of Australian mammals*

2019

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Closely related species that occur across steep environmental gradients often display clear body size differences, and examining this pattern is crucial to understanding how environmental variation shapes diversity. Australian endemic rodents in the Pseudomys Division (Muridae: Murinae) have repeatedly colonized the arid, monsoon, and mesic biomes over the last 5 million years. Using occurrence records, body mass data, and Bayesian phylogenetic models, we test whether body mass of 31 species in the Pseudomys Division can be predicted by their biome association. We also model the effect of eight environmental variables on body mass. Despite high phylogenetic signal in body mass evolution across the phylogeny, we find that mass predictably increases in the mesic biome and decreases in arid and monsoon biomes. As per Bergmann's rule, temperature is strongly correlated with body mass, as well as several other variables. Our results highlight two important findings. First, body size in Australian rodents has tracked with climate through the Pleistocene, likely due to several environmental variables rather than a single factor. Second, support for both Brownian motion and predictable change at different taxonomic levels in the Pseudomys Division phylogeny demonstrates how the level at which we test hypotheses can alter interpretation of evolutionary processes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environment predicts repeated body size shifts in a recent radiation of Australian mammals*

2019

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“…However, there was considerable variation in the direction and timing of change in both temperature and precipitation across the MT (Reeves et al, ) and some of the most mesic areas (e.g. northern Top End) could have been much less affected by the LGM (Potter et al, ). For the AZ, the obvious major refugia are the ancient rocky ranges and plateaus of the Pilbara craton in the west and the Central Ranges in the inland (Figure ; Oliver & McDonald, ; Pepper, Doughty, & Keogh, ; Pepper, Fujita, Moritz, & Keogh, ; Pepper, Ho, Fujita, & Keogh, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the AZ, the obvious major refugia are the ancient rocky ranges and plateaus of the Pilbara craton in the west and the Central Ranges in the inland (Figure ; Oliver & McDonald, ; Pepper, Doughty, & Keogh, ; Pepper, Fujita, Moritz, & Keogh, ; Pepper, Ho, Fujita, & Keogh, ). For the MT, major refugia occur in the dissected sandstone plateaus and ranges in the Top End and Kimberley (Potter, Eldridge, Taggart, & Cooper, ; Potter et al, ), as well as karst limestones at the interface of the AZ and MT (Oliver et al, ). Each of these MT refugia has high endemism, and thus, conservation value (Rosauer et al, , ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, most studies have used few loci (Table ), such that, with concatenation, phylogeographic analyses are dominated by just one gene – mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Furthermore, aside from comparative analyses of some species of Carlia (Afonso Silva, Bragg, et al, ; Potter et al, ) and Liopholis (Chapple, Keogh, & Hutchinson, ), scincid lizards, the most diverse vertebrate radiation in the AZ (Wilson & Swan, ), have been underrepresented in such analyses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contrasting scales of local persistence between monsoonal and arid biomes in closely related, low‐dispersal vertebrates

Potter

Silva

Bragg

et al. 2019

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim Focussing on pairs of sister species across three genera of scincid lizards, we use genomic evidence to test for larger‐scale, late‐Pleistocene changes in distributions of lizards in the Australian arid zone (AZ) than in the adjacent monsoonal tropics (MT). Location Northern and central Australia. Taxon Scincidae: Squamata. Methods We sequenced ~2000 nuclear exons and one mitochondrial gene across the distributions of species with primarily MT or AZ distributions from three genera of lizards. Using phylogenetic analysis and population structure analyses we identified major phylogeographic lineages and then compared the spatial scale of structuring and tested for recent demographic expansions. Results Two genera in particular, Proablepharus and Morethia, showed deeper and more geographically localized phylogeographic diversity in the MT than the AZ. In the MT, localized diversity was prevalent in the relatively mesic regions. By contrast, the AZ was characterized by widespread and often genetically uniform lineages and a higher proportion of these had signals of recent population expansion. Main conclusions Consistent with other recent, but mostly less genetically extensive studies, our results point to deeper and more localized diversity in MT compared to AZ. In turn, this suggests higher local persistence in more mesic and topographically diverse biome through the late Quaternary climate fluctuations. For the AZ, geographically extensive range expansions have likely contributed to the low spatial turnover of this exceptionally rich lizard fauna.

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“…For example, genetic analysis of reptiles, a rich and geographically structured AMT faunal group [14], has repeatedly demonstrated that snake [15], gecko [16][17][18] and skink [19,20] taxa previously considered to be widespread species actually represent diverse complexes of genetically and often also morphologically differentiated taxa, Diversity 2018, 10, 36; doi:10.3390/d10020036…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ants in Australia’s Monsoonal Tropics: CO1 Barcoding Reveals Extensive Unrecognised Diversity

2018

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Abstract:The Australian monsoonal tropics (AMT) is a significant biodiversity hotspot, and recent genetic studies of several vertebrate groups have revealed its level of diversity is far higher than previously thought. However, the extent to which this applies to the AMT's insect fauna, which represents most AMT faunal species, remains unknown. Here we examine the extent of unrecognised diversity in the AMT's ecologically dominant insect group, ants. We used CO1 barcoding in combination with morphological variation and geographic distribution to explore diversity within seven taxa currently recognised as single species occurring throughout the AMT: one species of Papyrius Shattuck 1992, one of Iridomyrmex Mayr 1862, two from the Cardiocondyla nuda (Mayr 1866) group, and three from the Camponotus novaehollandiae (Mayr 1870) group. We found six of the seven target species each to represent several species, based on a combination of CO1 divergence (ranging up to 13%), morphological differentiation and geographic distribution. Our findings indicate that the levels of diversity and endemism of the AMT ant fauna are far higher than currently realised. We urge the need for further research in insect biodiversity in the AMT, both for a better understanding of the evolution of its remarkable biota, and as a basis for improved conservation planning.

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Pleistocene climatic changes drive diversification across a tropical savanna

Cited by 40 publications

References 90 publications

Environment predicts repeated body size shifts in a recent radiation of Australian mammals*

Environment predicts repeated body size shifts in a recent radiation of Australian mammals*

Contrasting scales of local persistence between monsoonal and arid biomes in closely related, low‐dispersal vertebrates

Ants in Australia’s Monsoonal Tropics: CO1 Barcoding Reveals Extensive Unrecognised Diversity

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