Natural and life history correlates of genetic diversity in tropical frogs
Final Report Abstract
This research project aimed at determining the factors influencing genetic variation within and among populations of mainly tropical amphibians. As envisaged in the original proposal we assembled large datasets of mainly mitochondrial genes, but also nuclear markers, from several thousand samples of together over 60 amphibian species, from Brazil, Cuba, and Madagascar, and also encompassing two Palearctic frog species of radically different patterns of genetic variation. In three papers (two of which already published) we analyze the central questions outlined in the project proposal, and numerous other papers were completed and focus on aspects of the phylogeography of particular frog species. In particular we demonstrated that (1) in co-distributed frogs in two distant but ecologically similar rainforest sizes in Madagascar, smaller frogs had higher genetic divergence among sites than larger frogs, suggesting a lower dispersal capacity in small-sized species, possibly resulting in higher speciation rates related to the differentiation of microendemics; (2) in widespread frog species occurring in a variety of biomes, habitat type (forested vs. open) was the strongest predictor of phylogeographic structure, with species from less densely forested habitat showing less divergence among sites; (3) in two widespread and codistributed Palearctic frog species of the genus Rana we found consistent differences of genetic intrapopulational variation (lower in R. dalmatina, higher in R. temporaria) across markers and in almost all populations across the distribution ranges, suggesting that under certain circumstances genetic variation can be considered a trait consistently distinguishing certain species from others. Our phylogeographic study provided novel insights into the evolution of aposematic coloration and alkaloid sequestering in miniaturized Cuban frogs (Eleutherodactylus), conservation-relevant information on Brazilian frogs (Ischnocnema), and demonstrated the existence of truely widespread Neotropical frog species (Dendropsophus), with ranges of the same mitochondrial lineage extending up to almost one million square kilometers.
Publications
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(2012) Geographic distribution, colour variation and molecular diversity of miniature frogs of the Eleutherodactylus limbatus group from Cuba. – Salamandra 48: 71-91
Rodríguez, A., R. Alonso, J. A. Rodríguez & M. Vences
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(2012): Small body size increases the regional differentiation of populations of tropical mantellid frogs (Anura: Mantellidae). – Journal of Evolutionary Biology 25: 2310-2324
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(2013): From widespread to microendemic: molecular and acoustic analyses show that Ischnocnema guentheri (Amphibia: Brachycephalidae) is endemic to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. – Conservation Genetics 14: 973-982.
Gehara, M., C. Canedo, C.F.B. Haddad & M. Vences
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(2013): Genetic diversity, phylogeny and evolution of alkaloid sequestering in Cuban miniaturized frogs of the Eleutherodactylus limbatus group. – Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 68: 541–554
Rodríguez, A., D. Poth, S. Schulz, M. Gehara & M. Vences
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(2013): Radically different phylogeographies and patterns of genetic variation in two European brown frogs, genus Rana. – Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 68: 657-670
Vences, M., J. S. Hauswaldt, S. Steinfartz, O. Rupp, A. Goesmann, S. Künzel, P. Orozco-terWengel, D.R. Vieites, S. Nieto-Roman, S. Haas, C. Laugsch, M. Gehara, S. Bruchmann, M. Pabijan, A.-K. Ludewig, D. Rudert, C. Angelini, L. J. Borkin, P.-A. Crochet, A. Crottini, A. Dubois, G. F. Ficetola, P. Galán, P. Geniez, M. Hachtel, O. Jovanovic, S. N. Litvinchuk, P. Lymberakis, A. Ohler, N. A. Smirnov
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(2014): High levels of diversity uncovered in a widespread nominal taxon: continental phylogeography of the Neotropical tree frog Dendropsophus minutus. – PLOS ONE 9: e103958
Gehara, M., A.J. Crawford, V.G.D. Orrico, A. Rodríguez, S. Lötters, A. Fouquet, L.S. Barrientos, F. Brusquetti, I. De la Riva, R.Ernst, G. Gagliardi Urrutia, F. Glaw, J.M. Guayasamin, M. Hölting, M. Jansen, P.J.R. Kok, A. Kwet, R. Lingnau, M. Lyra, J. Moravec, J.P. Pombal Jr., F.J.M. Rojas- Runjaic, A. Schulze, J.C. Señaris, M. Solé, M. Trefaut Rodrigues, E. Twomey, C.F.B. Haddad, M. Vences, J. Köhler
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(2014): Molecular cytogenetics and phylogenetic analysis of Brazilian leaf frog species of the genera Phyllomedusa and Phasmahyla (Hylidae: Phyllomedusinae). – Canadian Journal of Zoology 92: 795-802
Barth, A., M. Vences. M. Solé & M.A. Costa
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Genetic divergence in tropical anurans: deeper phylogeographic structure in forest specialists and in topographically complex regions. Evolutionary Ecology, September 2015, Volume 29, Issue 5, pp 765–785
Rodriguez, A., M. Börner, M. Pabijan, M. Gehara, C.F.B. Haddad & M. Vences
