Abstract
BackgroundGeographical patterns and degrees of genetic divergence among populations differ between species, reflecting relative potentials for speciation or cladogenesis and differing capacities for environmental adaptation. Identification of factors that contribute to genetic divergence among populations is important to the understanding of why some species exhibit greater interpopulation genetic divergence. In this study, we calculated the mean pairwise genetic distances among populations as species’ average genetic divergence by a phylogeny using nuclear and mitochondrial genes of 303 individuals from 33 Cuban Anolis species and estimated species ages by another phylogeny using nuclear and mitochondrial genes of 51 Cuban and 47 non-Cuban Anolis species. We identified factors that influence species’ differences in genetic divergence among 26 species of Anolis lizards from Cuba. Species ages, environmental heterogeneity within species ranges, and ecomorph types were considered as factors affecting average genetic divergences among populations.ResultsThe phylogenies presented in this study provide the most comprehensive sampling of Cuban Anolis species to date. The phylogeny showed more conservative evolution of Anolis ecomorphs within Cuba and identified twig anoles as a monophyletic group. Subsequent Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares (PGLS) analyses showed that species age was positively correlated with species’ average genetic divergence among populations.ConclusionAlthough previous studies have focused on factors affecting genetic divergence within species, the present study showed for the first time that species differences in genetic divergence could be largely affected by species age.
Highlights
Geographical patterns and degrees of genetic divergence among populations differ between species, reflecting relative potentials for speciation or cladogenesis and differing capacities for environmental adaptation
Five species that had not been previously sequenced were added to the phylogeny (A. anfiloquioi, A. fugitivus, A. spectrum, A. litoralis, and A. ruibali)
Phylogenetic generalized least squares analyses In phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) analyses, we examine the effects of these factors on interspecific differences in genetic divergence within species, with consideration of the effects of phylogenetic constraints
Summary
Geographical patterns and degrees of genetic divergence among populations differ between species, reflecting relative potentials for speciation or cladogenesis and differing capacities for environmental adaptation. Identification of factors that contribute to genetic divergence among populations is important to the understanding of why some species exhibit greater interpopulation genetic divergence. Environmental heterogeneity within species ranges, and ecomorph types were considered as factors affecting average genetic divergences among populations. The identification of factors that contribute to genetic divergence among populations is useful to gaining a better understanding of why some species have greater interpopulation genetic divergence than others. Average genetic divergence among populations differs between species, and factors that affect. Among potential predictors of average genetic divergence among populations, differences in species’ dispersal abilities or tendencies, which could be affected by several factors, influence gene flow and subsequently genetic divergence among populations. The effect of isolation based on environment might differ among species because individual dispersal tendencies with respect to preference of particular environments may have evolved depending on selective pressure and past environments experienced by the species
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