Out of the Antilles: Fossil phylogenies support reverse colonization of bats to South America (original) (raw)
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Divergence times and origin of neotropical sheath-tailed bats (Tribe Diclidurini) in South America
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2007
Times of divergence and origin of sheath-tailed bats (family Emballonuridae) in the New World were approximated with a relaxed molecular clock approach using Bayesian analysis of introns from the three nuclear genetic transmission systems in mammals (autosomal, X and Y sex chromosomes). An upper constraint of 30 mya for the oldest known Neotropical emballonurid fossil and a lower constraint of 13 mya for the only pre-Pleistocene fossil of an extant genus were used as calibration points. Differentiation began in the Late Oligocene with the appearance of two subtribes as independently corroborated by each gene. Following an explosive model of evolution, the genera diversified relatively suddenly in the Early Miocene with seven of the eight genera radiating within 1.4 myr and most intrageneric speciation occurring before the Pliocene. Optimization of ancestral areas onto the phylogeny suggests that the ancestor of New World emballonurid bats has its origin in Africa and this is the third report of placental mammals colonizing South America by trans-Atlantic dispersal and subsequent speciation in allopatry.
Journal of Biogeography, 2008
Aim To reconstruct the biogeographical history of New World emballonurid bats (tribe Diclidurini). Although bats are the second most species-rich order of mammals, they have not contributed substantially to our understanding of the historical biogeography of mammals in the Neotropics because of a poor fossil record. In addition, being the only group of mammals that fly, bats typically have large distributions with relatively few species endemic to restricted areas that are amenable to vicariant biogeographical approaches.
Fossil Evidence and the Origin of Bats
Journal of Mammalian Evolution, 2005
The phylogenetic and geographic origins of bats (Chiroptera) remain unknown. The earliest confirmed records of bats date from the early Eocene (approximately 51 Ma) in North America with other early Eocene bat taxa also being represented from Europe, Africa, and Australia. Where known, skeletons of these early taxa indicate that many of the anatomical specializations characteristic of bats had already been achieved by the early Eocene, including forelimb and manus elongation in conjunction with structural changes in the pectoral skeleton, hind limb reorientation, and the presence of rudimentary echolocating abilities. By the middle Eocene, the diversification of bats was well underway with many modern families being represented among fossil forms. A new phylogenetic analysis indicates that several early fossil bats are consecutive sister taxa to the extant crown group (including megabats), and suggests a single origin for the order, at least by the late Paleocene. Although morphological studies have long placed bats in the Grandorder Archonta, (along with primates dermopterans, and tree shrews), recent molecular studies have refuted this hypothesis, instead strongly supporting placement of bats in Laurasiatheria. Primitively, proto-bats were likely insectivorous, under-branch hangers and elementary gliders that exploited terminal branch habitats. Recent work has indicated that a number of other mammalian groups began to exploit similar arboreal, terminal branch habitats in the Paleocene, including multituberculates, eulipotyphlans, dermopterans, and plesiadapiforms. This may offer an ecological explanation for morphological convergences that led to the erroneous inclusion of bats within Archonta: ancestral archontan groups as well as proto-bats apparently were exploiting similar arboreal habitats, which may have led to concurrent development of homoplasic morphological attributes.
Latitudinal gradients of genus richness and endemism and the diversification of New World bats
Several hypotheses have been advanced for the origin and diversification of the bat fauna of the New World. Traditional models considered one of the families (Vespertilionidae) to have had a North American origin, whilst the diversification of other seven families was thought to have occurred in South America. Present- day patterns of diversity are the result, according to these hypotheses, of the mixing of faunas, mostly coinciding with the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) of the Americas. Recent research has challenged the traditional model and has posited the possibility of dual centres of diversification (in South and North America) for families traditionally considered of strict South American origin. Here we examine the latitudinal patterns of bat diversity and endemism at the genus level and show that present-day patterns are more consistent with this dual-diversification hypothesis than with the traditional models. We document an asymmetrical latitudinal gradient of genus richness with a plateau near the equator, but with a decline in Central America and Mexico; however, in this area the relative number of genera, considering the species richness, is higher than expected by chance, as shown by a proper null model. The distribution and identity of endemic genera are consistent with models considering a North American origin for two of the families (Vespertilionidae and Natalidae), an early arrival to South America for another family (Molossidae), and a complex diversification process, involving two centres of diversification, for at least two of the families of the Noctilionoidea (Mormoopidae and Phyllostomidae) and possibly for the Emballonuridae. The recently identified Panamanian Realm (including southern Mexico and Central America) seems to have played a significant role in the diversification of New World bats.
2004
A phylogeny of least sac-winged bats (Balantiopteryx) was constructed from morphological data, and molecular data derived from mapped restriction cleavage sites of the 2,400 base pair mtDNA gene region including ND3, ND4L, and ND4. Separate and combined phylogenetic analyses each gave single most-parsimonious solutions with a well supported topology of (B. plicata, (B. io, B. infusca)). Incorporating current distribution patterns and habitat preferences with our phylogeny and estimates of divergence suggests that speciation within Balantiopteryx occurred in the Late Miocene prior to the establishment of the Isthmian Link between South and North America. Based on the premise that the genus arose in insular South America, we hypothesize that ancestral Balantiopteryx dispersed overwater to Middle America and that B. plicata subsequently diverged in the dry Pacific versant of Middle America after tectonic uplifting. B. io and B. infusca subsequently speciated allopatrically in the wet Atlantic versant of southern Mexico and northern Central America, and in the Pacific versant of southwestern Colombia and northwestern Ecuador, respectively, prior to the present land connection between North and South America.
Mammalian Biology, 2004
A phylogeny of least sac-winged bats (Balantiopteryx) was constructed from morphological data, and molecular data derived from mapped restriction cleavage sites of the 2,400 base pair mtDNA gene region including ND3, ND4L, and ND4. Separate and combined phylogenetic analyses each gave single most-parsimonious solutions with a well supported topology of (B. plicata, (B. io, B. infusca)). Incorporating current distribution patterns and habitat preferences with our phylogeny and estimates of divergence suggests that speciation within Balantiopteryx occurred in the Late Miocene prior to the establishment of the Isthmian Link between South and North America. Based on the premise that the genus arose in insular South America, we hypothesize that ancestral Balantiopteryx dispersed overwater to Middle America and that B. plicata subsequently diverged in the dry Pacific versant of Middle America after tectonic uplifting. B. io and B. infusca subsequently speciated allopatrically in the wet Atlantic versant of southern Mexico and northern Central America, and in the Pacific versant of southwestern Colombia and northwestern Ecuador, respectively, prior to the present land connection between North and South America.
Species endemic to oceanic islands offer unique insights into the mechanisms underlying evolution and have served as model systems for decades. Often these species show phenotypic variation that is correlated with the ecosystems in which they occur and such correlations may be a product of genetic drift, natural selection, and/or environmental factors. We explore the morphologic and genetic variation within Ardops nichollsi, a species of phyllostomid bat endemic to the Lesser Antillean islands. Ardops nichollsi is an ideal taxon to investigate the tempo of evolution in Chiroptera, as it: is a recently derived genus in the family Phyllostomidae; contains intraspecific morphological variation; and has a restricted insular distribution. To evaluate patterns of evolution in A. nichollsi, we used standard morphological analyses, in addition to analyzing Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms, mitochondrial cytochrome-b, and paternal marker zinc finger Y-chromosomal intron DNA sequence data. Our results identified a pattern that consists of two distinct evolutionarily lineages, which correspond to northern and southern islands of the Lesser Antilles. We also describe a new subspecies from the southern island of Saint Vincent. These results indicate gene flow among northern Lesser Antillean populations during the Pleistocene, and local adaptation to individual islands in the southern Lesser Antilles. Our findings can be used to further explore speciation processes within Caribbean bats and, more broadly, within species distributed across other insular systems.
Quaternary Bat Diversity in the Dominican Republic
American Museum Novitates, 2013
The fossil record of bats is extensive in the Caribbean, but few fossils have previously been reported from the Dominican Republic. In this paper, we describe new collections of fossil bats from two flooded caves in the Dominican Republic, and summarize previous finds from the Island of Hispaniola. The new collections were evaluated in the context of extant and fossil faunas of the Greater Antilles to provide information on the evolution of the bat community of Hispaniola. Eleven species were identified within the new collections, including five mormoopids (Mormoops blainvillei, †Mormoops magna, Pteronotus macleayii, P. parnellii, and P. quadridens), five phyllostomids (Brachyphylla nana, Monophyllus redmani, Phyllonycteris poeyi, Erophylla bombifrons, and Phyllops falcatus), and one natalid (Chilonatalus micropus). All of these species today inhabitant Hispaniola with the exception of †Mormoops magna, an extinct species previously known only from the Quaternary of Cuba, and Pteronotus macleayii, which is currently known only from extant populations in Cuba and Jamaica, although Quaternary fossils have also been recovered in the Bahamas. Differences between the fossil faunas and those known from the island today suggest that dispersal and extirpation events, perhaps linked to climate change or stochastic events such as hurricanes, may have played roles in structuring the modern fauna of Hispaniola.
Comparative phylogeography of short-tailed bats (Carollia: Phyllostomidae)
Molecular Ecology, 2003
This is the first study of comparative phylogeography involving closely related species of Neotropical bats of the family Phyllostomidae. We compared patterns of geographical variation within the five species of fruit-eating bats currently recognized in the genus Carollia using the complete mitochondrial cytochrome -b gene. Our results suggest that the combined effect of the uplift of the Andes and the Panamanian land bridge has been as important for bats as for terrestrial mammals in shaping present-day biodiversity in the New World tropics. Species in this genus can be arranged in two highly supported clades, with a deep subdivision within each that corresponds well to differences across the Andes. We found three congruent phylogeographical patterns across species in this genus. First, the closer relationship between samples from western Ecuador and those from Central America, compared with populations east of the Andes in C. brevicauda , C. castanea and C. perspicillata . Second, the likelihood of a similar timing in South America for the arrival and diversification of C. brevicauda and C. perspicillata from their Central America ancestors. Third, the expansion of C. perspicillata and C. sowelli into northwestern Central America in the relatively recent past. Using a molecular clock, with rates ranging from 2.3 to 5% per 10 6 years, diversification within Carollia would have occurred over the last 1-4.5 Myr. These estimates agree well with the last rise of the Northern Andes and the Panama isthmus.