Evolutionary history of Cuban crocodiles <i>Crocodylus rhombifer</i> and <i>Crocodylus acutus</i> inferred from multilocus markers

Milián‐García, Yoamel; Venegas‐Anaya, Miryam; Frias-Soler, Roberto Carlos; Crawford, Andrew J.; Ramos‐Targarona, Roberto; Rodríguez‐Soberón, Roberto; Alonso-Tabet, Manuel; Thorbjarnarson, John B.; Sanjur, Oris I.; Espinosa‐López, Georgina; Bermingham, Eldredge

doi:10.1002/jez.683

Cited by 46 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…As detected in previous studies (Weaver et al, 2008;Milián-García et al, 2011), Cuban Crocodylus form a monophyletic group, relative to all other New World crocodiles analyzed, including exemplars from mainland C. acutus, rendering the latter species paraphyletic (Supplementary Figure S1). Within the Cuban Crocodylus clade, there is a well-supported split between the α and β haplotypes (posterior probability = 1.00), with new haplotype D strongly clustering with α (posterior probability = 0.91), and new haplotype C showing an affinity with β, although the latter is not well supported (Supplementary Figure S1).…”

Section: Haplotypic Variationsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…It has been previously recognized that the lineages endemic to Cuba are unique, corresponding to the morphologically divergent Cuban crocodile (C. rhombifer) and a cryptic lineage morphologically similar to the American crocodile (β) (Weaver et al, 2008;Milián-García et al, 2011), most likely the result of mitochondrial capture (Rodriguez et al, 2011). Our results provide additional insights, for the first time analyzing wild populations of Cuban C. acutus and C. rhombifer both in sympatry and allopatry within their native range.…”

Section: Population History and Taxonomic Statusmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…New World crocodiles have a complex history that is continuing to be unraveled by the growing body of research dedicated to this topic (Dever and Densmore, 2001;Hekkala, 2004;Ray et al, 2004;Cedeño-Vazquez et al, 2008;Rodriguez et al, 2008;Weaver et al, 2008;Machkour-M'Rabet et al, 2009;Meredith et al, 2011;Milián-García et al, 2011;Oaks, 2011;Rodriguez et al, 2011). It has been previously recognized that the lineages endemic to Cuba are unique, corresponding to the morphologically divergent Cuban crocodile (C. rhombifer) and a cryptic lineage morphologically similar to the American crocodile (β) (Weaver et al, 2008;Milián-García et al, 2011), most likely the result of mitochondrial capture (Rodriguez et al, 2011).…”

Section: Population History and Taxonomic Statusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A subsequent study involving wild populations of Cuban Crocodylus, including C. rhombifer from Zapata Swamp, an allopatric population of C. acutus in Birama Swamp and exemplars of mainland C. acutus, likewise revealed a split between Cuban C. acutus (equivalent to C. rhombifer-β from Weaver et al, 2008) and mainland C. acutus, both of which were genetically and morphologically distinct from C. rhombifer (Milián-García et al, 2011). Both of these previous studies also revealed evidence for low levels of hybridization between C. rhombifer and C. acutus in captivity (Weaver et al, 2008) and in the wild (Milián-García et al, 2011), yet they were not equipped to explicitly characterize patterns of in situ hybridization and population history within Cuban Crocodylus, as neither included representative samplings of C. rhombifer and C. acutus where their ranges overlap in Zapata Swamp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…From a conservation perspective, hybridization is particularly concerning when one species is extremely rare and the other is more abundant (Rhymer and Simberloff, 1996;Allendorf et al, 2001). In terms of New World crocodiles, there is evidence of hybridization involving two range-restricted species, the Cuban crocodile (C. rhombifer; Varona, 1966;Weaver et al, 2008;Milián-García et al, 2011) and Morelet's crocodile (C. moreletii; Hekkala, 2004;Ray et al, 2004;Cedeño-Vazquez et al, 2008;Rodriguez et al, 2008;Machkour-M'Rabet et al, 2009) with overlapping populations of the American crocodile (C. acutus), that is more broadly distributed in North America, South America and the Caribbean (Ramos et al, 2004;Thorbjarnarson et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Genetic evidence of hybridization between the critically endangered Cuban crocodile and the American crocodile: implications for population history and in situ/ex situ conservation

et al. 2014

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Inter-specific hybridization may be especially detrimental when one species is extremely rare and the other is abundant owing to the potential for genetic swamping. The Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) is a critically endangered island endemic largely restricted to Zapata Swamp, where it is sympatric with the widespread American crocodile (C. acutus). An on-island, C. rhombifer captive breeding program is underway with the goals of maintaining taxonomic integrity and providing a source of individuals for reintroduction, but its conservation value is limited by lack of genetic information. Here we collected mtDNA haplotypic and nuclear genotypic data from wild and captive C. rhombifer and C. acutus in Cuba to: (1) investigate the degree of inter-specific hybridization in natural (in situ) and captive (ex situ) populations; (2) quantify the extent, distribution and in situ representation of genetic variation ex situ; and (3) reconstruct founder relatedness to inform management. We found high levels of hybridization in the wild (49.1%) and captivity (16.1%), and additional evidence for a cryptic lineage of C. acutus in the Antilles. We detected marginally higher observed heterozygosity and allelic diversity ex situ relative to the wild population, with captive C. rhombifer exhibiting over twice the frequency of private alleles. Although mean relatedness was high in captivity, we identified 37 genetically important individuals that possessed individual mean kinship (MK) values lower than the population MK. Overall, these results will guide long-term conservation management of Cuban crocodiles for maintaining the genetic integrity and viability of this species of high global conservation value.

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Section: Haplotypic Variationsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Population History and Taxonomic Statusmentioning

confidence: 63%

Section: Population History and Taxonomic Statusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Genetic evidence of hybridization between the critically endangered Cuban crocodile and the American crocodile: implications for population history and in situ/ex situ conservation

et al. 2014

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Crocodylia (Including Gharials Crocodiles and Alligators)

Densmore

Venegas‐Anaya

2021

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

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The order Crocodylia contains the sole reptilian survivors of the Archosauria, which also includes the dinosaurs and birds. While the living forms are not nearly as diverse as they have been in the past, they represent a lineage that first appeared in the Mesozoic Era, and that has successfully survived a number of extinction events. They also represent a group that has been seriously impacted by humans, both in terms of hunting and habitat destruction. Crocodylyians are, therefore, largely protected or endangered. However, they are critical apex predators that often serve as ‘keystone’ species and indicators of the health of the environments that they inhabit. Key Concepts The Crocodylia (the only living non‐avian Archosaurs) are aquatic or semi-aquatic apex predators that can trace their origins to the early Mesozoic Era. The three recognized families, Alligatoridae, Crocodylidae and Gavialidae, are currently represented by some 30 named forms found primarily in tropical or subtropical environments. The combination of human hunting for their meat and skins, habitat loss and long generation times have contributed to the threatened or endangered status of many living crocodylians. Even though most recognized species seem to be valid hybridization, especially within the genus Crocodylus, is common and complicates efforts to understand their recent evolutionary history; growing evidence among several caiman species suggests that hybridization is more prevalent than previously thought. Molecular analyses in conjunction with assessments of morphological variation and paleontology are contributing to a more accurate understanding of crocodylian phylogeny, particularly within Crocodylidae and Gavialidae.

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MitochondrialDNAanalysis reveals hidden genetic diversity in captive populations of the threatened American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in Colombia

Bloor

Ibáñez

Viloria‐Lagares

2014

Ecology and Evolution

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Identification of units within species worthy of separate management consideration is an important area within conservation. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) surveys can potentially contribute to this by identifying phylogenetic and population structure below the species level. The American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is broadly distributed throughout the Neotropics. Its numbers have been reduced severely with the species threatened throughout much of its distribution. In Colombia, the release of individuals from commercial captive populations has emerged as a possible conservation strategy that could contribute to species recovery. However, no studies have addressed levels of genetic differentiation or diversity within C. acutus in Colombia, thus complicating conservation and management decisions. Here, sequence variation was studied in mtDNA cytochrome b and cytochrome oxidase I gene sequences in three Colombian captive populations of C. acutus. Two distinct lineages were identified: C. acutus-I, corresponding to haplotypes from Colombia and closely related Central American haplotypes; and C. acutus-II, corresponding to all remaining haplotypes from Colombia. Comparison with findings from other studies indicates the presence of a single “northern” lineage (corresponding to C. acutus-I) distributed from North America (southern Florida), through Central America and into northern South America. The absence of C. acutus-II haplotypes from North and Central America indicates that the C. acutus-II lineage probably represents a separate South American lineage. There appears to be sufficient divergence between lineages to suggest that they could represent two distinct evolutionary units. We suggest that this differentiation needs to be recognized for conservation purposes because it clearly contributes to the overall genetic diversity of the species. All Colombian captive populations included in this study contained a mixture of representatives of both lineages. As such, we recommend against the use of captive-bred individuals for conservation strategies until further genetic information is available.

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Evolutionary history of Cuban crocodiles Crocodylus rhombifer and Crocodylus acutus inferred from multilocus markers

Cited by 46 publications

References 63 publications

Genetic evidence of hybridization between the critically endangered Cuban crocodile and the American crocodile: implications for population history and in situ/ex situ conservation

Genetic evidence of hybridization between the critically endangered Cuban crocodile and the American crocodile: implications for population history and in situ/ex situ conservation

Crocodylia (Including Gharials Crocodiles and Alligators)

MitochondrialDNAanalysis reveals hidden genetic diversity in captive populations of the threatened American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in Colombia

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