The phylogenomic and biogeographic history of the gartersnakes, watersnakes, and allies (Natricidae: Thamnophiini)

• Published in: Molecular phylogenetics and evolution 2023-09, Vol.186, p.107844-107844, Article 107844
• Main Authors: Nuñez, Leroy P., Gray, Levi N., Weisrock, David W., Burbrink, Frank T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biogeography; Colubridae; Gene tree discordance; Natricidae; North America; North American Herpetology; Phylogenomics; Phylogeny
• ISSN: 1055-7903; 1095-9513
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107844

[Display omitted] •UCE data resolves previously problematic relationships in Thamnophiini.•Support for reversing taxonomic changes of Haldea striatula and Liodytes pygaea.•Thamnophis is the only major genus to have crossed westward multiple times.•High level of gene tree discordance with species tree despite high nodal support. North American Thamnophiini (gartersnakes, watersnakes, brownsnakes, and swampsnakes) are an ecologically and phenotypically diverse temperate clade of snakes representing 61 species across 10 genera. In this study, we estimate phylogenetic trees using ∼3,700 ultraconserved elements (UCEs) for 76 specimens representing 75% of all Thamnophiini species. We infer phylogenies using multispecies coalescent methods and time calibrate them using the fossil record. We also conducted ancestral area estimation to identify how major biogeographic boundaries in North America affect broadscale diversification in the group. While most nodes exhibited strong statistical support, analysis of concordant data across gene trees reveals substantial heterogeneity. Ancestral area estimation demonstrated that the genus Thamnophis was the only taxon in this subfamily to cross the Western Continental Divide, even as other taxa dispersed southward toward the tropics. Additionally, levels of gene tree discordance are overall higher in transition zones between bioregions, including the Rocky Mountains. Therefore, the Western Continental Divide may be a significant transition zone structuring the diversification of Thamnophiini during the Neogene and Pleistocene. Here we show that despite high levels of discordance across gene trees, we were able to infer a highly resolved and well-supported phylogeny for Thamnophiini, which allows us to understand broadscale patterns of diversity and biogeography.