Title
Phylogenetic relationships and systematics of the Amazonian poison frog genus Ameerega using ultraconserved genomic elements
Date Issued
01 January 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Guillory W.X.
French C.M.
Twomey E.M.
Prates I.
von May R.
De la Riva I.
Lötters S.
Reichle S.
Whitworth A.
Brown J.L.
Publisher(s)
Academic Press Inc.
Abstract
The Amazonian poison frog genus Ameerega is one of the largest yet most understudied of the brightly colored genera in the anuran family Dendrobatidae, with 30 described species ranging throughout tropical South America. Phylogenetic analyses of Ameerega are highly discordant, lacking consistency due to variation in data types and methods, and often with limited coverage of species diversity in the genus. Here, we present a comprehensive phylogenomic reconstruction of Ameerega, utilizing state-of-the-art sequence capture techniques and phylogenetic methods. We sequenced thousands of ultraconserved elements from over 100 tissue samples, representing almost every described Ameerega species, as well as undescribed cryptic diversity. We generated topologies using maximum likelihood and coalescent methods and compared the use of maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods for estimating divergence times. Our phylogenetic inference diverged strongly from those of previous studies, and we recommend steps to bring Ameerega taxonomy in line with the new phylogeny. We place several species in a phylogeny for the first time, as well as provide evidence for six potential candidate species. We estimate that Ameerega experienced a rapid radiation approximately 7–11 million years ago and that the ancestor of all Ameerega was likely an aposematic, montane species. This study underscores the utility of phylogenomic data in improving our understanding of the phylogeny of understudied clades and making novel inferences about their evolution.
Volume
142
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Zoología, Ornitología, Entomología, ciencias biológicas del comportamiento
Genética, Herencia
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85073226040
PubMed ID
Source
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
ISSN of the container
10557903
Sponsor(s)
We thank Miguel T. Rodrigues (Universidade de São Paulo), Felipe F. Curcio (Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso), Jose Padial (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales - Madrid), Diego J. Santana (Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul), Addison Wynn and Robert Wilson (Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, USNM 147223), Janalee Caldwell (Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History), and Frederick Sheldon (Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science) for providing tissue samples under their care. We thank César Aguilar (MUSM), Kyle Summers (ECU), Greg Schneider (UMMZ), Alison Davis Rabosky (UMMZ), Dan Rabosky (UMMZ) for allowing access to specimens and tissues under their care. IP acknowledges funding from a Smithsonian Peter Buck Postdoctoral Fellowship . Much of this research was supported by start-up to JLB provided by SIU. WXG is thankful for funding from the Students United in Exploring, Preserving, and Researching Biodiversity (SUPERB) fellowship, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) , USA (DUE-1564969). IDlR thanks the Spanish government for funding under project CGL2014-56160-P . Collection of some specimens Ameerega from southern Peru (e.g., Villa Carmen) was funded by a fellowship from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation (to D. Rabosky). Permits were issued by: Brazil’s Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (SISBIO 30309, 36753, 7147) the Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre in Peru (R.D.G. 120-2012-AG-DGFFS-DGEFFS, R.D.G. 029-2016-SERFOR-DGGSPFFS, R.D.G. 405-2016-SERFOR-DGGSPFFS, R.D.G. 116-2017-SERFOR-DGGSPFFS, N° 002765-AG-INRENA, N° 061-2003-INRENA-IFFS-DCB, N° 050-2006-INRENA-IFFS-DCB, N° 067-2007-INRENA-IFFS-DCB, N° 083-2017-SERFOR/DGGSPFFS, N°004-2013-SERNANP-JRCA, and N°016-2010-SERNANP-DGANP), Contrato de Acceso Marco a Recursos Genéticos in Peru (359-2013-MINAGRI-DGFFS-DGEFFS, and Ministerio de Agricultura of Peru (Permit Number Code 25397, N° 2904-2012-AG-DGFFS-DGEFFS ) and the administration of Manu National Park (06-2013-SERNANP-PNM-JEF).
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus