ABSTRACT
Climatic conditions changing over time and space shape the evolution of organisms at multiple levels, including temperate lizards in the family Lacertidae. Here we reconstruct a dated phylogenetic tree of 262 lacertid species based on a supermatrix relying on novel phylogenomic datasets and fossil calibrations. Diversification of lacertids was accompanied by an increasing disparity among occupied bioclimatic niches, especially in the last 10 Ma, during a period of progressive global cooling. Temperate species also underwent a genome-wide slowdown in molecular substitution rates compared to tropical and desert-adapted lacertids. Evaporative water loss and preferred temperature are correlated with bioclimatic parameters, indicating physiological adaptations to climate. Tropical, but also some populations of cool-adapted species experience maximum temperatures close to their preferred temperatures. We hypothesize these species-specific physiological preferences may constitute a handicap to prevail under rapid global warming, and contribute to explaining local lizard extinctions in cool and humid climates.
Subject(s)
Environment , Genetic Variation , Genome , Lizards/genetics , Lizards/physiology , Temperature , Animals , Body Temperature Regulation/physiology , Climate , Evolution, Molecular , PhylogenyABSTRACT
The meadow lizard Darevskia praticola (Eversmann, 1834) displays a wide distribution range from the Western Balkans and Caucasus to the Hyrcanian forest in Iran. Based on previous studies, four subspecies have been described (D. p. praticola, D. p. pontica, D. p. hyrcanica and D. p. loriensis), but molecular evidence suggests two main phylogenetic lineages, Balkan and Caucasus. In this study we incorporated geographic records and analysed new samples from Alborz Mountains (Gilan Province, Iran), exploring their phylogenetic affinities using two mitochondrial markers (Cyt b and ND4). For the first time, Iranian samples are included in a molecular phylogeny. Our results meet the previous suggestions regarding the presence of a nuclear mitochondrial DNA fragment (numt) in Cyt b, causing misleading phylogenetic inferences since it renders the species paraphyletic. In contrast, the ND4 genealogy groups the species into a monophyletic clade, as expected. Samples attributed to D. p. hyrcanica (Azerbaijan and Iran) and D. p. loriensis (Armenia) are settled in a single clade with minute genetic distance, suggesting synonymisation.
Subject(s)
Lizards , Phylogeny , Animals , Armenia , Azerbaijan , Balkan Peninsula , DNA, Mitochondrial , Grassland , Iran , Sequence Analysis, DNAABSTRACT
Wildlife-vehicle collisions are an important cause of mortality for many animal species. They also prove extremely detrimental to the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) [1,2]. One to two Asiatic cheetahs are killed by vehicles on Iran's roads annually [3,4]. As such, the Asiatic cheetah could be the next charismatic felid subspecies to go extinct in the near future [5]. We identified one statistically-significant cluster of cheetah-vehicle collisions on the Shahroud-Sabzevar Highway (SSH), in Semnan Province. Because of the extremely small population of cheetahs and the corresponding difficulty of finding statistically-significant clusters, we propose that every single cheetah-vehicle collision should be considered important. We further recommend that wildlife underpasses and associated fencing be constructed in areas of previous cheetah-vehicle collisions.
