Abstract
Factors that determine genetic structure of species in southwestern China remain largely unknown. In this study, sequences of two mitochondrial genes (COI and cyt b) were determined to investigate the phylogeography and demography of Babina pleuraden, a pond frog endemic to southwestern China. A total of 262 individuals from 22 populations across the entire range of the species were collected. Our results indicate that B. pleuraden comprises five well-supported mitochondrial lineages roughly corresponding to five geographical areas. The phylogeographic structure of B. pleuraden has been shaped primarily by the unique regional responses of the Yunnan Plateau to the rapid uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau occurred c. 2.5 Mya (B phrase of Qingzang Movement) and climatic oscillation during middle Pleistocene (c. 0.64–0.36 Mya), rather than by the paleo-drainage systems. The present wide distribution of the species has resulted from recent population expansion (c. 0.053–0.025 Mya) from multiple refugia prior to the Last Glacial Maximum, corresponding to the scenario of “refugia within refugia”.
Highlights
Genetic diversity and population structure of species are affected by their life histories and ecological traits [1], and historical events [2,3]
The geological events that impacted N. yunnanensis may have the same impact on sympatric B. pleuraden and current genetic structure of B. pleuraden may be associated with the paleo-drainage system
This is evidenced by the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) analysis, which revealed that the greatest amount of genetic variation occurred among populations within groups (76.85%) when the data were partitioned into two groups as eastern lineage (C) vs. western plus central lineages (A, B, D, E), whereas the greatest amount of genetic variation occurred among groups (78.06%) when the data were partitioned into two groups as western lineage (A) vs. central plus eastern lineages (B, C, D, E) (Table S3)
Summary
Genetic diversity and population structure of species are affected by their life histories and ecological traits [1], and historical events [2,3]. [7]), extremely complex topography and climate were formed in the Yungui Plateau This significant increase in geological and ecological diversity promoted rapid divergence and speciation in small and isolated populations [7], and this region increasingly plays an important role in revealing biological consequences of the Late Cenozoic orogenic events [8]. According to Clark et al [9], modern upper and middle Yangtze River drainage and most of drainages distributed in Hengduan Mountains Region were originally major tributaries to the paleoRed River system These historical drainage rearrangements have been revealed as the main driving force for shaping the current genetic structure of Nanorana yunnanensis [10] and Terminalia franchetii [11,12]. The geological events that impacted N. yunnanensis may have the same impact on sympatric B. pleuraden and current genetic structure of B. pleuraden may be associated with the paleo-drainage system
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