TY - JOUR
T1 - Climatic niche evolution in the viviparous Sceloporus torquatus group (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae)
AU - Martínez-Méndez, Norberto
AU - Mejía, Omar
AU - Ortega, Jorge
AU - Méndez-de la Cruz, Fausto
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright 2019 Martínez-Méndez et al.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - The cold-climate hypothesis maintains that viviparity arose as a means to prevent increased egg mortality in nests owing to low temperatures, and this hypothesis represents the primary and most strongly supported explanation for the evolution of viviparity in reptiles. In this regard, certain authors have stated that viviparous species will exhibit speciation via climatic niche conservatism, with similar climatic niches being observed in allopatric sister species. However, this prediction remains to be tested with bioclimatic variables relevant to each viviparous group. In the present study, we examined climatic niche evolution in a group of North American viviparous lizards to determine whether their diversification is linked to phylogenetic niche conservatism (PNC). We evaluated the phylogenetic signal and trait evolution of individual bioclimatic variables and principal component (PC) scores of a PC analysis, along with reconstructions of ancestral climate tolerances. The results suggest that diversification of the Sceloporus torquatus group species is associated with both niche differentiation and PNC. Furthermore, we did not observe PNC across nearly all bioclimatic variables and in PC2 and PC3. However, in Precipitation Seasonality (Bio15), in Precipitation of Coldest Quarter (Bio19) and in PC1 (weakly associated with variability of temperature), we did observe PNC. Additionally, variation of the scores along the phylogeny and Pagel’s delta (d) >1 of PC3 suggests a fast, recent evolution to dry conditions in the clade that sustains S. serrifer.
AB - The cold-climate hypothesis maintains that viviparity arose as a means to prevent increased egg mortality in nests owing to low temperatures, and this hypothesis represents the primary and most strongly supported explanation for the evolution of viviparity in reptiles. In this regard, certain authors have stated that viviparous species will exhibit speciation via climatic niche conservatism, with similar climatic niches being observed in allopatric sister species. However, this prediction remains to be tested with bioclimatic variables relevant to each viviparous group. In the present study, we examined climatic niche evolution in a group of North American viviparous lizards to determine whether their diversification is linked to phylogenetic niche conservatism (PNC). We evaluated the phylogenetic signal and trait evolution of individual bioclimatic variables and principal component (PC) scores of a PC analysis, along with reconstructions of ancestral climate tolerances. The results suggest that diversification of the Sceloporus torquatus group species is associated with both niche differentiation and PNC. Furthermore, we did not observe PNC across nearly all bioclimatic variables and in PC2 and PC3. However, in Precipitation Seasonality (Bio15), in Precipitation of Coldest Quarter (Bio19) and in PC1 (weakly associated with variability of temperature), we did observe PNC. Additionally, variation of the scores along the phylogeny and Pagel’s delta (d) >1 of PC3 suggests a fast, recent evolution to dry conditions in the clade that sustains S. serrifer.
KW - Cold-climate hypothesis
KW - Niche disparity through time
KW - Niche evolution
KW - North America
KW - Phyloclimatic analysis
KW - Phylogenetic niche conservatism
KW - Phylogenetic signal
KW - Phylogeny
KW - Sceloporus
KW - Viviparity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85059862189&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.7717/peerj.6192
DO - 10.7717/peerj.6192
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 30643683
AN - SCOPUS:85059862189
SN - 2167-8359
VL - 2019
JO - PeerJ
JF - PeerJ
IS - 1
M1 - e6192
ER -