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Quaternary range and demographic expansion of L iolaemus darwinii ( S quamata: L iolaemidae) in the M onte D esert of C entral A rgentina using B ayesian phylogeography and ecological niche modelling
Author(s) -
Camargo Arley,
Werneck Fernanda P.,
Morando Mariana,
Sites Jack W.,
Avila Luciano J.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1111/mec.12369
Subject(s) - phylogeography , biology , population , range (aeronautics) , evolutionary biology , demographic history , biological dispersal , effective population size , population size , ecology , genetic variation , phylogenetics , genetics , demography , materials science , sociology , gene , composite material
Until recently, most phylogeographic approaches have been unable to distinguish between demographic and range expansion processes, making it difficult to test for the possibility of range expansion without population growth and vice versa. In this study, we applied a B ayesian phylogeographic approach to reconstruct both demographic and range expansion in the lizard L iolaemus darwinii of the M onte D esert in C entral A rgentina, during the L ate Q uaternary. Based on analysis of 14 anonymous nuclear loci and the cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA gene, we detected signals of demographic expansion starting at ~55 ka based on B ayesian S kyline and S kyride P lots. In contrast, B ayesian relaxed models of spatial diffusion suggested that range expansion occurred only between ~95 and 55 ka, and more recently, diffusion rates were very low during demographic expansion. The possibility of population growth without substantial range expansion could account for the shared patterns of demographic expansion during the L ast G lacial M axima ( OIS 2 and 4) in fish, small mammals and other lizards of the M onte D esert. We found substantial variation in diffusion rates over time, and very high rates during the range expansion phase, consistent with a rapidly advancing expansion front towards the southeast shown by palaeo‐distribution models. Furthermore, the estimated diffusion rates are congruent with observed dispersal rates of lizards in field conditions and therefore provide additional confidence to the temporal scale of inferred phylogeographic patterns. Our study highlights how the integration of phylogeography with palaeo‐distribution models can shed light on both demographic and range expansion processes and their potential causes.