DIVERSIFICATION AND PERSISTENCE AT THE ARID-MONSOONAL INTERFACE: AUSTRALIA-WIDE BIOGEOGRAPHY OF THE BYNOE'S GECKO (HETERONOTIA BINOEI; GEKKONIDAE)

Late Neogene aridification in the Southern Hemisphere caused contractions of mesic biota to refugia, similar to the patterns established by glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere, but these episodes also opened up new adaptive zones that spurred range expansion and diversification in arid-adapted lin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evolution 2010-08, Vol.64 (8), p.2293-2314
Main Authors: Fujita, Matthew K., McGuire, Jimmy A., Donnellan, Stephen C., Moritz, Craig
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal populations
Animals
Arid zones
Aridification
Australia
Bayes Theorem
Biodiversity
Biological taxonomies
Biomes
Ecosystem
Evolution
Evolution & development
Exons
Genes, Mitochondrial
Genetic Markers
Geography
Geological time
habitat reconstruction
Habitats
Introns
Lizards - genetics
Lizards - physiology
Mitochondrial DNA
Paleoclimatology
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
phylogeography
Pleistocene
Pliocene
population expansion
Refuge habitats
Reptiles & amphibians
Tropical climates
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Summary:Late Neogene aridification in the Southern Hemisphere caused contractions of mesic biota to refugia, similar to the patterns established by glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere, but these episodes also opened up new adaptive zones that spurred range expansion and diversification in arid-adapted lineages. To understand these dynamics, we present a multilocus (nine nuclear ¡ ntrons, one mitochondrial gene) phylogeographic analysis of the Bynoe's gecko (Heteronotia binoei), a widely distributed complex spanning the tropical monsoon, coastal woodland, and arid zone biomes in Australia. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses, estimates of divergence times, and demographic inferences revealed episodes of diversification in the Pliocene, especially in the tropical monsoon biome, and range expansions in the Pleistocene. Ancestral habitat reconstructions strongly support recent and independent invasions into the arid zone. Our study demonstrates the varied responses to aridification in Australia, including localized persistence of lineages in the tropical monsoonal biome, and repeated invasion of and expansion through newly available aridzone habitats. These patterns are consistent with those found in other arid environments in the Southern Hemisphere, including the South African succulent karoo and the Chilean lowlands, and highlight the diverse modes of diversification and persistence of Earth's biota during the glacial cycles of the Pliocene and Pleistocene.
ISSN:0014-3820
1558-5646
DOI:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.00993.x