Molecular phylogeny of the Canary Island lacertids (Gallotia): mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment divergence in relation to sequence divergence and geological time (original) (raw)
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Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 1996
Phylogenetic relationships among species and subspecies of the Canary Island endemic lizard genusGallotiaare inferred based on nucleotide sequences of fragments of 12S ribosomal RNA and cytochromebmitochondrial genes. The four morphologically established species have also been recognized at the molecular level. Relative affinities among species follow an eastern–western geographic transect. The nearly extinct speciesGallotia simonyifrom the most western island of El Hierro is closely related to the common western speciesGallotia galloti,the nearest branch to this pair isGallotia stehlinifrom the central island of Gran Canaria, and finally,Gallotia atlanticafrom the two eastern and geologically oldest islands appears as the most distantly related species of the group. At the statistical level, four subspecies can be recognized inG. galloti,but only two inG. atlantica.
Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 2003
Ancient mitochondrial DNA sequences (378 base pairs of cytochrome b and 368 of 12S rRNA) extracted from a mummified extinct giant lizard, Gallotia goliath, from eastern Tenerife, Canary Islands, were used to assess the species status and relationship of this form within the genus. G. goliath is clearly a member of the G. simonyi group of the western Canary islands (Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma) and is not closely related to the giant G. stehlini of Gran Canaria. Contrary to recent opinion, it is phylogenetically distinct, within the G. simonyi group, from the extant G. simonyi of El Hierro and also from the recently discovered live G. gomerana on La Gomera and from G. intermedia in north-western Tenerife. It may be the sister taxon of either all the other members of the G. simonyi group or of G. intermedia. The phylogenetic distinctness of G. goliath makes Tenerife unique among oceanic islands in having had one giant and two medium-sized lizard species that were probably substantially herbivorous, the others being G. intermedia and G. galloti. Gallotia shows great community differences on other islands in the Canaries, two having a single small species, one a single giant, and three a giant and a medium-sized form. © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003, 80, 659–670.
Mitochondrial phylogeography of the Dalmatian wall lizard, (Lacertidae
Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 2004
A 903 bp section of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene was sequenced from 73 specimens of Podarcis melisellensis collected at 52 localities distributed over the major part of the species' range. In addition, parts of the 12S (about 470 bp) and 16S rRNA (about 500 bp) genes were analysed for 11 representative samples leading to a congruent phylogeny. Our study includes representatives of all 20 subspecies recognized today. The phylogenetic analysis of the sequence data revealed three main clades: mainland with nearby islands, Vis archipelago, and Lastovo archipelago. The degree of mitochondrial DNA divergence among these clades suggests a separation of the respective population groups during the earliest Pleistocene. The phylogenetic pattern observed within the species is in sharp contrast to the actual taxonomic division into subspecies. A correlation between genetic diversity of P. melisellensis populations and paleogeography of the regions they inhabit is discussed.
Phylogeography of the Madeiran endemic lizard Lacerta dugesii inferred from mtDNA sequences
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2003
Partial sequences from two mitochondrial DNA genes, cytochrome b and 12S rRNA, were used to assess the phylogenetic relationships of populations of Lacerta dugesii from the volcanic Atlantic islands of Madeira, the Desertas, Porto Santo, and the Selvagens. All four-island groups are genetically distinguishable and populations within each contain similar degrees of genetic diversity. Molecular clock estimates suggest that the islands were colonized much later after their emergence compared to other Atlantic islands, possibly due to their greater geographical isolation. Mismatch analysis of all populations is consistent with exponential growth, as expected after colonization of empty niches. The Selvagens contain genetic substructuring between the islets.
Mitochondrial phylogeography of the Dalmatian wall lizard, Podarcis melisellensis (Lacertidae
Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 2004
A 903 bp section of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene was sequenced from 73 specimens of Podarcis melisellensis collected at 52 localities distributed over the major part of the species' range. In addition, parts of the 12S (about 470 bp) and 16S rRNA (about 500 bp) genes were analysed for 11 representative samples leading to a congruent phylogeny. Our study includes representatives of all 20 subspecies recognized today. The phylogenetic analysis of the sequence data revealed three main clades: mainland with nearby islands, Vis archipelago, and Lastovo archipelago. The degree of mitochondrial DNA divergence among these clades suggests a separation of the respective population groups during the earliest Pleistocene. The phylogenetic pattern observed within the species is in sharp contrast to the actual taxonomic division into subspecies. A correlation between genetic diversity of P. melisellensis populations and paleogeography of the regions they inhabit is discussed.
Systematic Biology, 1996
Previous studies using partial regression Mantel tests of matrix correspondence on within-island geographic variation in the color pattern of the Tenerife (Canary Islands) lacertid lizard (Galbtia galloti) support natural selection for different north-south climatically determined biotopes but do not support any historical cause. However, tests on the DNA phylogeny based primarily on population data from 57 localities on Tenerife support the hypothesis that there were populations on two putative precursor islands that have come into secondary contact and introgressed after these islands were joined to form Tenerife by the eruption of the Canadas edifice. Subsequent partial Mantel tests continue to support the hypothesis that color pattern is adapted to the climatic biotopes even when this phylogenetic information is taken into account by (1) testing for color pattern adaptation separately within each lineage and (2) testing for color pattern adaptation across the entire island and simultaneously considering the molecular phylogenetic relationships as representing an alternative explanation. Selection has largely expunged any trace of the geological history from current morphological variation, and the introgression of these island populations after an estimated 0.7 million years of separation gives an insight into the relationships between allopatric divergence and reproductive isolation. [Partial Mantel tests; molecular phylogeny; historical hypotheses; lineage introgression; cytochrome b sequence; DGGE; Canary Island lizards; Lacertidae; Gallotia galloti.]
Journal of Molecular Evolution, 2003
We sequenced the complete control region (CR) and adjacent tRNAs, partial 12S rRNA, and cytochrome b (over 3100 bp) from eight individuals of Madeiran wall lizards, Lacerta dugesii, from four distinct island populations. The tRNAs exhibit a high degree of intraspecific polymorphisms compared to other vertebrates. All CR sequences include a minisatellite that varies in length between populations but is apparently fixed within them. Variation in minisatellite length appears between populations separated by apparently very short evolutionary time spans. Many motifs identified in the CR of other vertebrates are not highly conserved, although conserved blocks are identifiable between the few published reptile CR sequences. Overall there are extensive differences in the internal organization of the reptile CR compared to the more widely studied mammals and birds. Variability in the CR is lower than in cytochrome b, but higher than in 12S rRNA. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences produces a well-resolved estimate of relationships between populations.
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2010
Archaeolacerta bedriagae is a rock-dwelling lizard endemic to the Corso-Sardinian insular system. We investigated the phylogeography of the species by using the mitochondrial ND4 and flanking tRNAs genes from 94 specimens belonging to 19 populations. Phylogenetic, Barrier, and SAMOVA analyses revealed a highly structured pattern characterized by two levels of discontinuities in the geographical distribution of mtDNA diversity: (i) a deep phylogeographic break in Northern Corsica between Lineage A, restricted to northernmost Corsica, and Lineage B widespread all over the remaining range of the species, and (ii) some minor phylogeographic discontinuities within lineage B, which is sub-structured into six closely related haplotype clades with remarkable concordance with geography. The first evolutionary event concerning the split between the two main lineages from an ancestral population occurred in the Upper Pliocene (5.87-3.68 mya), while the divergence within lineage B would have started from the Upper Pleistocene (2.5-1.6 mya), between Corsican and Sardinian populations. Somewhat later (1.7-1.1 mya), the Sardinian ancestral population underwent fragmentation into population groups inhabiting North, Central, and South Sardinia. As inferred from previous allozyme surveys, the divergence among population groups would be driven by allopatric fragmentation, while the discrepancy concerning the major partition into two lineages inferred from mtDNA but not apparent in analysis of allozymes needs further investigation.