Abstract
Species distributed across vast continental areas and across major biomes provide unique model systems for studies of biotic diversification, yet also constitute daunting financial, logistic and political challenges for data collection across such regions. The tree frog Dendropsophus minutus (Anura: Hylidae) is a nominal species, continentally distributed in South America, that may represent a complex of multiple species, each with a more limited distribution. To understand the spatial pattern of molecular diversity throughout the range of this species complex, we obtained DNA sequence data from two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and the 16S rhibosomal gene (16S) for 407 samples of D. minutus and closely related species distributed across eleven countries, effectively comprising the entire range of the group. We performed phylogenetic and spatially explicit phylogeographic analyses to assess the genetic structure of lineages and infer ancestral areas. We found 43 statistically supported, deep mitochondrial lineages, several of which may represent currently unrecognized distinct species. One major clade, containing 25 divergent lineages, includes samples from the type locality of D. minutus. We defined that clade as the D. minutus complex. The remaining lineages together with the D. minutus complex constitute the D. minutus species group. Historical analyses support an Amazonian origin for the D. minutus species group with a subsequent dispersal to eastern Brazil where the D. minutus complex originated. According to our dataset, a total of eight mtDNA lineages have ranges >100,000 km2. One of them occupies an area of almost one million km2 encompassing multiple biomes. Our results, at a spatial scale and resolution unprecedented for a Neotropical vertebrate, confirm that widespread amphibian species occur in lowland South America, yet at the same time a large proportion of cryptic diversity still remains to be discovered.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Anura / genetics*
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Biodiversity*
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DNA, Mitochondrial / genetics
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Electron Transport Complex IV / genetics
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Evolution, Molecular
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Phylogeography
Substances
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DNA, Mitochondrial
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Electron Transport Complex IV
Grants and funding
AR was supported by a Post-Doctoral fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt foundation. CFBH acknowledges support by FAPESP (proc. 2008/50928-1) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq. FB thanks Programa Nacional de Incentivo a Investigadores (PRONII, Paraguay) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, Brazil) for financial support. JM was financially supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic (DKRVO 2012 and DKRVO 2013/14; 00023272). MG was supported by a PhD fellowship of the KAAD. MTR acknowledges support by FAPESP (#s 03/10335-8, 10/51071-7, and 11/50146-6), CNPq, and NSF (DEB 1035184 and 1120487). MV acknowledges support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (grant VE247/7-1). PJRK was mainly supported by the Belgian Directorate-General of Development Cooperation, the King Léopold III Fund for Nature Exploration and Conservation, and the Percy Sladen Memorial Fund, with additional support by the non-profit organization “les Amis de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles”. RE and MH were supported by a research grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG ER 589/2*1). VGDO acknowledges support by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo - FAPESP (#2012/12500-5). Laboratory work in Colombia was financed by grant #156-09 from Ecopetrol. Funding was provided by the Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica through the project “Patrones de diversidad de los anfibios andinos del Ecuador”. JPP is grateful to CNPq and FAPERJ for financial support. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.