Abstract
We examined the impact of climatic fluctuations on the phylogeographic structure of the common slug eating snake (Duberrialutrixlutrix) throughout its distribution in South Africa. The evolutionary history within the taxon was examined using partial DNA sequence data for two mitochondrial genes (ND4 + cyt b) in combination with a nuclear locus (SPTBN1). Phylogenetic relationships were investigated for both the combined mtDNA and total evidence DNA sequence data. In addition, population and demographic analyses together with divergence time estimations were conducted on the combined mtDNA data. Topologies derived from the combined mtDNA analyses and the total evidence analyses were congruent and retrieved five statistically well-supported clades, suggesting that Duberrial.lutrix represents a species complex. The five clades were generally allopatric, separated by altitudinal barriers and characterised by the absence of shared mtDNA haplotypes suggesting long term isolation. Divergence time estimations indicate that the diversification within the D.l.lutrix species complex occurred during the Plio/Pleistocene as a result of climatic fluctuations and habitat shifts for the species. A taxonomic revision of the D.l.lutrix species complex may be required to delineate possible species boundaries.
Highlights
Climatic oscillations are thought to be responsible for inducing dramatic impacts on the habitat and eco-physiological characteristics promoting cladogenesis (Hewitt 2000, 2004; Daniels et al 2007, 2009; Barlow et al 2013; Engelbrecht et al 2013)
Considering the results observed in phylogeographic studies of other co-distributed reptile species, we postulate that D. l. lutrix exhibits similar patterns of genetic differentiation across its distribution in South Africa
The maximum parsimony (MP) and Bayesian inference (BI) analyses retrieved near identical tree topologies, only the BI topology is shown and discussed
Summary
Climatic oscillations are thought to be responsible for inducing dramatic impacts on the habitat and eco-physiological characteristics promoting cladogenesis (Hewitt 2000, 2004; Daniels et al 2007, 2009; Barlow et al 2013; Engelbrecht et al 2013). Northern temperate continental areas experienced significant Pliocene/Pleistocene climatic changes whilst many biomes closer to the equator were reduced in size due to increased aridity and the expansion of arid environments (Hewitt 2000, 2004). These northern hemispherical climatic conditions resulted in noticeable recent cladogenesis for numerous species (Clark et al 1999; Hewitt 2000, 2004; Lisiecki and Raymo 2007). As ectotherms, are sensitive to temperature fluctuations and are ideal organisms with which to test the impact of climate ameliorations on phylogeographic patterning (Santos et al 2012; Martínez-Freiría et al 2015)
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