Abstract
BackgroundSpecies are the fundamental units in evolutionary biology. However, defining them as evolutionary independent lineages requires integration of several independent sources of information in order to develop robust hypotheses for taxonomic classification. Here, we exemplarily propose an integrative framework for species delimitation in the “brown lemur complex” (BLC) of Madagascar, which consists of seven allopatric populations of the genus Eulemur (Primates: Lemuridae), which were sampled extensively across northern, eastern and western Madagascar to collect fecal samples for DNA extraction as well as recordings of vocalizations. Our data base was extended by including museum specimens with reliable identification and locality information for skull shape and pelage color analysis.ResultsBetween-group analyses of principal components revealed significant heterogeneity in skull shape, pelage color variation and loud calls across all seven populations. Furthermore, post-hoc statistical tests between pairs of populations revealed considerable discordance among different data sets for different dyads. Despite a high degree of incomplete lineage sorting among nuclear loci, significant exclusive ancestry was found for all populations, except for E. cinereiceps, based on one mitochondrial and three nuclear genetic loci.ConclusionsUsing several independent lines of evidence, our results confirm the species status of the members of the BLC under the general lineage concept of species. More generally, the present analyses demonstrate the importance and value of integrating different kinds of data in delimiting recently evolved radiations.
Highlights
Species are the fundamental units in evolutionary biology
With the present paper we aim to contribute to the topic of species delimitation in recently diverged populations in general, while clarifying the taxonomy of the brown lemur complex” (BLC) using several lines of evidence
Whereas E. collaris was significantly different from all other taxa, E. albifrons and E. cinereiceps showed the fewest significant differences in pairwise comparisons
Summary
Species are the fundamental units in evolutionary biology. defining them as evolutionary independent lineages requires integration of several independent sources of information in order to develop robust hypotheses for taxonomic classification. Species are the currency for biodiversity classification and define regions of conservation priority, so-called biological hotspots [7,8]. Despite their fundamental importance and widespread application, identifying, defining and delimiting species. De Queiroz proposed a definition of species that is in agreement with all modern species concepts Under this so-called general (metapopulation) lineage concept (GLC), the conceptualization of the notion of species and the operational criteria necessary to delimit them became separated [1,14]. Evaluating multiple lines of evidence increases our capacity to detect recently diverged populations, and can provide stronger evidence of lineage separation when different operational criteria are in concordance [18,19]
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