Molecular and phylogenetic datasets for the Asterophryinae frogs of New Guinea with additional data on lifestyle, geography, and elevation

Hill, Ethan C; Jarman, Mary; Fraser, Claire J; Gao, Diana F; Henry, Elizabeth R.; Fisher, Allison R.; Iova, Bulisa; Allison, Allen; Butler, Marguerite A.

doi:10.1016/j.dib.2023.108987

Cited by 1 publication

(6 citation statements)

References 18 publications

(30 reference statements)

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“…For our biogeographical analysis, we used our previously published dataset ( Hill et al. 2022 , 2023 ), which contains 218 samples from over 80 sites across Papua New Guinea and its satellite islands ( Fig. 2 ), spanning a majority of the geographic extent of Asterophryinae, and reasonably representing the known geographic diversity ( Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sampling sites across PNG and satellite islands are indicated by numbers, with insets showing detail for sites that are clustered. Site names, GPS coordinates, and metadata are provided in Table 1 of Hill et al. (2023) .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used the time-calibrated Asterophryinae phylogeny of Hill et al. ( 2022 , 2023 ), which contains 218 tips and is the largest and most comprehensive phylogenetic effort for this subfamily to date. Time-calibration was made using widely-agreed upon geological references, specifically the isolation of the islands that form the Louisiade Archipelago (6–4 Ma) and the opening of the Woodlark Basin (6–5 Ma, Hill et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2018 ; Hill et al. 2022 , 2023 ), the taxonomy is incomplete and complicated by a large number of undescribed species (a rough estimate is approximately 40% of collections are undescribed), as well as what is sure to be extensive undiscovered diversity (many recent studies report cryptic diversity across many lineages).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our overall sampling strategy was to include as many geographically and taxonomically representative samples as we could obtain from our field studies spanning several decades along with contributions from colleagues (see acknowledgements in: Hill et al. 2022 , 2023 ). Furthermore, we note that New Guinea Island contains two countries, and fieldwork has been more extensive in Papua New Guinea due to the logistical and political difficulties of working in Indonesia.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Testing Geology with Biology: Plate Tectonics and the Diversification of Microhylid Frogs in the Papuan Region

Hill

Gao

Polhemus

et al. 2023

Integrative Organismal Biology

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Studies of the Papuan region have provided fundamental insights into the evolutionary processes generating its exceptional biodiversity, but the influence of geological processes merits further study. Lying at the junction of five tectonic plates, this region has experienced a turbulent geological history that has not only produced towering mountains allowing elevational specialization, and island archipelagos with varying degrees of isolation promoting vicariance, but also active margins where land masses have collided and been subsequently rifted apart creating a mosaic of intermixed terranes with vastly different geological histories. Asterophryine frogs are a hyperdiverse clade representing half the world’s microhylid diversity (over 360 species) centered on New Guinea and its satellite islands. We show that vicariance facilitated by geological history explains this far and wide distribution of a clade that should have poor dispersal abilities. We recovered a mainland tectonic unit, the East Papua Composite Terrane (EPCT), as the center of origin for Asterophryinae and no fewer than 71 instances of what appear to be long-distance dispersal events, 29 of which are between mainland regions, with 42 from the mainland to the islands, some presently as far as 200 km away from source populations over open ocean. Furthermore, we find strong support for a “Slow and Steady” hypothesis for the formation of the northern margin of New Guinea by many separate accretion events during the Miocene, over other major geological alternatives, consistent with the 20 M year age of the clade and arrival via the EPCT. In addition, the historical biogeography of our frogs strongly supports an affiliation of the Louisiade Archipelago and Woodlark Island with the Owen Stanley Range on the EPCT, and the recent proximity of the large New Britain Island. Our results show that Asterophryinae did not have to repeatedly and independently disperse across large ocean barriers to the offshore islands, against the predictions of island biogeography theory, but that the current distribution can be explained through vicariance and short-distance oceanic dispersal as historical land connections disappeared and islands slowly became separated from each other. We show that islands have a life history, changing in distance from other land masses, with consequent opportunities for dispersal, isolation, and cladogenesis of their biotas. More broadly, we can begin to see how the geological history of the Papuan region can result in the rapid accumulation and staggering number of extant species.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%