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Biogeography and colonization history of plethodontid salamanders from the Interior Highlands of eastern North America
Author(s) -
Martin Samuel D.,
Shepard Donald B.,
Steffen Michael A.,
Phillips John G.,
Bonett Ronald M.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of biogeography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 158
eISSN - 1365-2699
pISSN - 0305-0270
DOI - 10.1111/jbi.12625
Subject(s) - biological dispersal , biogeography , fauna , ecology , colonization , geography , salamander , land bridge , geology , biology , population , demography , sociology
Aim The Interior Highlands (Ouachita Mountains and Ozark Plateau) are major physiographical regions of eastern North America and harbour many endemic species. Despite their close proximity, the Ozarks and Ouachitas have different geological histories and relatively distinct species pools. Few studies have tested the biogeographical origins of this region's fauna, and most researchers have treated the Interior Highlands as a single unit. Here, we inferred the sources and timing of colonization of the Ozarks and the Ouachitas by analysing the biogeography of three genera of plethodontid salamanders ( Eurycea , Plethodon and Desmognathus ). Location Eastern North America. Methods We constructed a well‐sampled, time‐calibrated phylogeny for the family Plethodontidae using three mitochondrial and three nuclear genes in beast . Genetic data were primarily taken from GenBank, although we also produced 76 novel sequences. Using lagrange , we reconstructed ancestral areas for North American plethodontids. We compared the frequency and timing of dispersal events between the Ozarks and Ouachitas to other putative sources such as the Eastern Highlands (Appalachian Mountains and associated limestone plateaus). Results We inferred nine dispersal events from the Eastern Highlands to the Interior Highlands, and just two dispersal events between the geographically proximate Ozarks and Ouachitas. Following one dispersal in the Oligocene, other inter‐highland dispersal events occurred in the Miocene and Pliocene, including two periods of near‐synchronous movements. Main conclusions Given the relatively limited faunal exchange between the Ozarks and Ouachitas, we conclude that either the river valley separating the Ozarks and Ouachitas is a more formidable barrier to plethodontid salamander dispersal than barriers separating the Interior Highlands from the Eastern Highlands, or ecological/community contingencies have limited dispersal within the Interior Highlands. In our study, geographical proximity of upland islands does not correspond with faunal similarity.