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Isolation by environment and recurrent gene flow shaped the evolutionary history of a continentally distributed Neotropical treefrog
Author(s) -
Camurugi Felipe,
Gehara Marcelo,
Fonseca Emanuel M.,
Zamudio Kelly R.,
Haddad Célio F.B.,
Colli Guarino R.,
Thomé Maria Tereza C.,
Prado Cynthia P.A.,
Napoli Marcelo F.,
Garda Adrian A.
Publication year - 2021
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.14035
Subject(s) - gene flow , phylogeography , ecology , ecological niche , refugium (fishkeeping) , population , geography , approximate bayesian computation , biodiversity , range (aeronautics) , genetic structure , coalescent theory , biology , isolation by distance , demographic history , species distribution , genetic diversity , habitat , phylogenetics , demography , biochemistry , materials science , sociology , composite material , gene
Aim Phylogeographic studies show how historical and current changes in landscapes shape the geographic distribution of genetic diversity in species of animals and plants. In particular, for the species of the Diagonal of Open Formations (DOF), the compartmentalization of the Central Brazilian Plateau (CBP) during the Tertiary and climatic oscillations during the Quaternary have often been invoked to explain the origin and current patterns of biodiversity. We investigated how landscape changes and climatic oscillations shaped the distribution and diversification history of a widespread South American treefrog. Location South American Diagonal of Open Formations (DOF) including Caatinga, Cerrado, and Chaco biomes. Taxon Treefrog Boana raniceps . Methods We used a multi‐locus dataset from 288 individual frogs collected at 115 localities throughout most of the species’ distribution. We used population assignment analysis, species distribution models, historical demography models, approximate Bayesian computation and landscape genetic analyses to test alternative hypotheses of diversification. Results We found two genetic lineages that diverged during the mid‐Pleistocene with continued gene flow. Approximate Bayesian computation supported a scenario of isolation with migration until the Last Glacial Maximum, followed by more recent population expansion in north‐eastern Brazil and stability at the southwest in South America. Isolation by environment was the best predictor of genetic distance between populations, which is in accordance with their different environmental niches. As Boana raniceps is a lowland species, steep slopes in the CBP likely restrained gene flow enough to sustain population divergence. We found evidence for major range contraction during the Last Glacial Maximum, raising the possibility of synergic action of climate change and the CBP compartmentalization in regulating migration. Main conclusions Our findings highlight how landscape and climatic changes can shape the diversification of DOF biota. Past climatic fluctuations and environmental resistance due to topography acted in concert, forming a semipermeable barrier to gene flow, promoting intraspecific differentiation in a continentally distributed species.