Mountain barriers and river conduits: phylogeographical structure in a large, mobile lizard (Varanidae: Varanus varius) from eastern Australia
Peter J. Smissen
Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic. 3010 Australia
Department of Sciences, Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Vic. 3001 Australia
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Jane Melville
Department of Sciences, Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Vic. 3001 Australia
Correspondence: Jane Melville, Department of Sciences, Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Vic. 3001, Australia.
E-mail: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorJoanna Sumner
Department of Sciences, Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Vic. 3001 Australia
Search for more papers by this authorTim S. Jessop
Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic. 3010 Australia
Search for more papers by this authorPeter J. Smissen
Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic. 3010 Australia
Department of Sciences, Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Vic. 3001 Australia
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Jane Melville
Department of Sciences, Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Vic. 3001 Australia
Correspondence: Jane Melville, Department of Sciences, Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Vic. 3001, Australia.
E-mail: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorJoanna Sumner
Department of Sciences, Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Vic. 3001 Australia
Search for more papers by this authorTim S. Jessop
Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic. 3010 Australia
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Aim
Across eastern Australia, mountain ranges (the Great Dividing Range) and river catchments (the Murray–Darling Basin) are likely to have shaped the phylogeographical structure of many species. We address how such processes have influenced the phylogeography of the lace monitor, Varanus varius, a large mobile lizard.
Location
Eastern and south-eastern Australia.
Methods
Phylogeographical hypotheses were tested using up to 90 museum and field-collected samples from across the entire species' range; a 671-bp region of the mtDNA gene ND4 was sequenced and all individuals were genotyped (eight microsatellite loci).
Results
Maximum-likelihood analysis of sequence data revealed three geographically separate clades, with divergences estimated to have occurred during the Pleistocene. The south-eastern clade showed an expansion pattern from northern refugia and dispersal appears to have occurred along the Murray–Darling river system. Microsatellite analyses support mtDNA clades but indicate secondary contact in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales.
Main conclusions
Our results indicate that phylogeographical structure and contemporary gene flow in Varanus varius is shaped by dispersal capacity, geographical barriers and the presence of ancient river corridors. Indeed, only the most significant geological (McPherson Range) and habitat barriers (Burdekin Gap) appear to limit gene flow in this species. The expansion of the clade on the western side of the Great Dividing Range suggests that ancient riparian corridors have facilitated extensive gene flow. Our study highlights the importance of understanding a species' ecological dynamics when examining broad-scale evolutionary patterns.
Supporting Information
| Filename | Description |
|---|---|
| jbi12128-sup-0001-Appendix_S1-S3_final.docxWord document, 317.4 KB | Appendix S1 Sequences acquired from GenBank used in phylogenetic and phylogeographical analyses. Appendix S2 Details of Varanus varius samples used in genetic analyses. Appendix S3 Phylogeny of 21 unique haplotypes in Varanus varius in eastern Australia. |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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