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Christoph Liedtke H, Lyakurwa JV, Lawson LP, Menegon M, Garrido-Priego M, Mariaux J, Ngalason W, Channing A, Owen NR, Bittencourt-Silva GB, Wilkinson M, Larson JG, Loader SP. Thirty years of amphibian surveys in the Ukagurus Mountains of Tanzania reveal new species, yet others are in decline. AFR J HERPETOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2022.2043945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- H Christoph Liedtke
- Ecology, Evolution and Development Group, Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - John V Lyakurwa
- Department of Zoology and Wildlife Conservation, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Lucinda P Lawson
- Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Michele Menegon
- Division of Biology & Conservation Ecology, School of Science & the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
- PAMS Foundation, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Marina Garrido-Priego
- Ecology, Evolution and Development Group, Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jean Mariaux
- Natural History Museum of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Wilirk Ngalason
- Department of Zoology and Wildlife Conservation, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Alan Channing
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Nisha R Owen
- On the EDGE Conservation, London, UK
- The Society for Environmental Exploration (Frontier), London, UK
| | - Gabriela B Bittencourt-Silva
- Ecology, Evolution and Development Group, Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Mark Wilkinson
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Joanna G Larson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Simon P Loader
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
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2
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Méndez‐Narváez J, Warkentin KM. Reproductive colonization of land by frogs: Embryos and larvae excrete urea to avoid ammonia toxicity. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8570. [PMID: 35222954 PMCID: PMC8843769 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertebrate colonization of land has occurred multiple times, including over 50 origins of terrestrial eggs in frogs. Some environmental factors and phenotypic responses that facilitated these transitions are known, but responses to water constraints and risk of ammonia toxicity during early development are poorly understood. We tested if ammonia accumulation and dehydration risk induce a shift from ammonia to urea excretion during early stages of four anurans, from three origins of terrestrial development. We quantified ammonia and urea concentrations during early development on land, under well‐hydrated and dry conditions. Where we found urea excretion, we tested for a plastic increase under dry conditions and with ammonia accumulation in developmental environments. We assessed the potential adaptive role of urea excretion by comparing ammonia tolerance measured in 96h‐LC50 tests with ammonia levels in developmental environments. Ammonia accumulated in foam nests and perivitelline fluid, increasing over development and reaching higher concentrations under dry conditions. All four species showed high ammonia tolerance, compared to fishes and aquatic‐breeding frogs. Both nest‐dwelling larvae of Leptodactylus fragilis and late embryos of Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni excreted urea, showing a plastic increase under dry conditions. These two species can develop the longest on land and urea excretion appears adaptive, preventing their exposure to potentially lethal levels of ammonia. Neither late embryos of Agalychnis callidryas nor nest‐dwelling larvae of Engystomops pustulosus experienced toxic ammonia levels under dry conditions, and neither excreted urea. Our results suggest that an early onset of urea excretion, its increase under dry conditions, and elevated ammonia tolerance can all help prevent ammonia toxicity during terrestrial development. High ammonia represents a general risk for development which may be exacerbated as climate change increases dehydration risk for terrestrial‐breeding frogs. It may also be a cue that elicits adaptive physiological responses during early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Méndez‐Narváez
- Department of Biology Boston University Boston Massachusetts USA
- Calima Fundación para la Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Conservación en el Trópico Cali Colombia
| | - Karen M. Warkentin
- Department of Biology Boston University Boston Massachusetts USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Panama Republic of Panama
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3
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Baptista NL, Pinto PV, Keates C, Edwards S, Rdel MO, Conradie W. A new species of red toad, Schismaderma Smith, 1849 (Anura: Bufonidae), from central Angola. Zootaxa 2021; 5081:301-332. [PMID: 35391006 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5081.3.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
A new species of red toad, from the previously monotypic genus Schismaderma, is described. The new species was found in Malanje Province, and seems endemic to central Angola, occurring approximately 500 km west of the closest known records of Schismaderma carens. Unusual adult colouration and geographical distance to remaining S. carens populations suggested specific differentiation. In an integrative approach, we compared the red toads from central Angola with S. carens from across the entire range, including molecular data, morphology of adults and tadpoles, and male advertisement calls. Phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial (12S, 16S, COI) and nuclear (CXCR4, RAG1) markers, retrieved the Angolan clade as monophyletic, and revealed intra-specific substructuring among the remaining Schismaderma. Genetic distances supported specific differentiation of the central Angolan material compared with other S. carens. Adults from the new Angolan species have bolder ventral patterning and smaller body size than S. carens. No obvious differences were detected between the tadpoles and the advertisement calls of the two Schismaderma species. This discovery adds to the knowledge of the herpetofauna of the Angolan Miombo woodlands, a poorly understood ecoregion, and likely more biodiverse than previously assumed. The result of past river basin dynamics in central Angola likely led to the evolution of this new species of Schismaderma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ninda L Baptista
- CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigao em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genticos, Laboratrio Associado, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrrio de Vairo, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairo, Portugal. Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Cincias, Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Pedro Vaz Pinto
- CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigao em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genticos, Laboratrio Associado, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrrio de Vairo, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairo, Portugal. Fundao Kissama, Luanda, Angola.
| | - Chad Keates
- Zoology and Entomology Molecular Lab, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa 8South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), Makhanda, South Africa.
| | - Shelley Edwards
- Zoology and Entomology Molecular Lab, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa.
| | - Mark-Oliver Rdel
- Museum fr NaturkundeLeibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany. Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity ResearchBBIB, Altensteinstr. 34, 14195 Berlin, Germany .
| | - Werner Conradie
- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), Makhanda, South Africa.
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4
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Mulder KP, Alarcón-Ríos L, Nicieza AG, Fleischer RC, Bell RC, Velo-Antón G. Independent evolutionary transitions to pueriparity across multiple timescales in the viviparous genus Salamandra. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2021; 167:107347. [PMID: 34763070 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The ability to bear live offspring, viviparity, has evolved multiple times across the tree of life and is a remarkable adaptation with profound life-history and ecological implications. Within amphibians the ancestral reproductive mode is oviparity followed by a larval life stage, but viviparity has evolved independently in all three amphibian orders. Two types of viviparous reproduction can be distinguished in amphibians; larviparity and pueriparity. Larviparous amphibians deliver larvae into nearby ponds and streams, while pueriparous amphibians deliver fully developed juveniles and thus do not require waterbodies for reproduction. Among amphibians, the salamander genus Salamandra is remarkable as it exhibits both inter- and intraspecific variation in the occurrence of larviparity and pueriparity. While the evolutionary relationships among Salamandra lineages have been the focus of several recent studies, our understanding of how often and when transitions between modes occurred is still incomplete. Furthermore, in species with intraspecific variation, the reproductive mode of a given population can only be confirmed by direct observation of births and thus the prevalence of pueriparous populations is also incompletely documented. We used sequence capture to obtain 1,326 loci from 94 individuals from across the geographic range of the genus, focusing on potential reproductive mode transition zones. We also report additional direct observations of pueriparous births for 20 new locations and multiple lineages. We identify at least five independent transitions from the ancestral mode of larviparity to pueriparity among and within species, occurring at different evolutionary timescales ranging from the Pliocene to the Holocene. Four of these transitions occurred within species. Based on a distinct set of markers and analyses, we also confirm previous findings of introgression between species and the need for taxonomic revisions in the genus. We discuss the implications of our findings with respect to the evolution of this complex trait, and the potential of using five independent convergent transitions for further studies on the ecological context in which pueriparity evolves and the genetic architecture of this specialized reproductive mode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin P Mulder
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 1000 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20560, USA; Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA.
| | - Lucía Alarcón-Ríos
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas, Universidad de Oviedo UO, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Alfredo G Nicieza
- Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas, Universidad de Oviedo UO, Oviedo, Spain; Biodiversity Research Institute (IMIB), University of Oviedo-Principality of Asturias-CSIC, 33600 Mieres, Spain
| | - Robert C Fleischer
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | - Rayna C Bell
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 1000 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20560, USA; Herpetology Department, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
| | - Guillermo Velo-Antón
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; Universidade de Vigo, Grupo GEA, Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Vigo, Spain.
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5
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Bardua C, Fabre AC, Clavel J, Bon M, Das K, Stanley EL, Blackburn DC, Goswami A. Size, microhabitat, and loss of larval feeding drive cranial diversification in frogs. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2503. [PMID: 33947859 PMCID: PMC8096824 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22792-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Habitat is one of the most important factors shaping organismal morphology, but it may vary across life history stages. Ontogenetic shifts in ecology may introduce antagonistic selection that constrains adult phenotype, particularly with ecologically distinct developmental phases such as the free-living, feeding larval stage of many frogs (Lissamphibia: Anura). We test the relative influences of developmental and ecological factors on the diversification of adult skull morphology with a detailed analysis of 15 individual cranial regions across 173 anuran species, representing every extant family. Skull size, adult microhabitat, larval feeding, and ossification timing are all significant factors shaping aspects of cranial evolution in frogs, with late-ossifying elements showing the greatest disparity and fastest evolutionary rates. Size and microhabitat show the strongest effects on cranial shape, and we identify a "large size-wide skull" pattern of anuran, and possibly amphibian, evolutionary allometry. Fossorial and aquatic microhabitats occupy distinct regions of morphospace and display fast evolution and high disparity. Taxa with and without feeding larvae do not notably differ in cranial morphology. However, loss of an actively feeding larval stage is associated with higher evolutionary rates and disparity, suggesting that functional pressures experienced earlier in ontogeny significantly impact adult morphological evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Bardua
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Anne-Claire Fabre
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Julien Clavel
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Margot Bon
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Kalpana Das
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institut für Evolutions und Biodiversitätsforschung, Berlin, Germany
| | - Edward L Stanley
- Department of Natural History, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - David C Blackburn
- Department of Natural History, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Anjali Goswami
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK.
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Figueiredo-Vázquez C, Lourenço A, Velo-Antón G. Riverine barriers to gene flow in a salamander with both aquatic and terrestrial reproduction. Evol Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-021-10114-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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7
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Pereyra MO, Blotto BL, Baldo D, Chaparro JC, Ron SR, Elias-Costa AJ, Iglesias PP, Venegas PJ, C. Thomé MT, Ospina-Sarria JJ, Maciel NM, Rada M, Kolenc F, Borteiro C, Rivera-Correa M, Rojas-Runjaic FJ, Moravec J, De La Riva I, Wheeler WC, Castroviejo-Fisher S, Grant T, Haddad CF, Faivovich J. Evolution in the Genus Rhinella: A Total Evidence Phylogenetic Analysis of Neotropical True Toads (Anura: Bufonidae). BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2021. [DOI: 10.1206/0003-0090.447.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martín O. Pereyra
- Martín O. Pereyra: División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”–CONICET, Buenos Aires; and Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva “Claudio J. Bidau,” Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS, CONICET), Universidad Naci
| | - Boris L. Blotto
- Boris L. Blotto: División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”–CONICET, Buenos Aires; Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Centro de Aquicultura (CAUN
| | - Diego Baldo
- Diego Baldo: Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva “Claudio J. Bidau,” Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM), Posadas, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Juan C. Chaparro
- Juan C. Chaparro: Museo de Biodiversidad del Perú, Cusco, Perú; and Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Paraninfo Universitario, Cusco
| | - Santiago R. Ron
- Santiago R. Ron: Museo de Zoología, Escuela de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito
| | - Agustín J. Elias-Costa
- Agustín J. Elias-Costa: División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”–CONICET, Buenos Aires
| | - Patricia P. Iglesias
- Patricia P. Iglesias: Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva “Claudio J. Bidau”, Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM), Posadas, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Pablo J. Venegas
- Pablo J. Venegas: División de Herpetología-Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad (CORBIDI), Surco, Lima
| | - Maria Tereza C. Thomé
- Maria Tereza C. Thomé: Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Centro de Aquicultura (CAUNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo
| | - Jhon Jairo Ospina-Sarria
- Jhon Jairo Ospina-Sarria: Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and Calima, Fundación para la Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Conservación en el Trópico, Cali
| | - Natan M. Maciel
- Natan M. Maciel: Laboratório de Herpetologia e Comportamento Animal, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Marco Rada
- Marco Rada: Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo
| | - Francisco Kolenc
- Francisco Kolenc: Sección Herpetología, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Montevideo
| | - Claudio Borteiro
- Claudio Borteiro: Sección Herpetología, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Montevideo
| | - Mauricio Rivera-Correa
- Mauricio Rivera-Correa: Grupo Herpetológico de Antioquia, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín
| | - Fernando J.M. Rojas-Runjaic
- Fernando J.M. Rojas-Runjaic: Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, Museo de Historia Natural La Salle (MHNLS), Venezuela; and Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Jiří Moravec
- Jiří Moravec: Department of Zoology, National Museum, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ignacio De La Riva
- Ignacio de la Riva: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid
| | - Ward C. Wheeler
- Ward C. Wheeler: Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York
| | - Santiago Castroviejo-Fisher
- Santiago Castroviejo-Fisher: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; and Research Associate, Herpetology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York
| | - Taran Grant
- Taran Grant: Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo; and Research Associate, Herpetology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York
| | - Célio F.B. Haddad
- Célio F.B. Haddad: Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Centro de Aquicultura (CAUNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo
| | - Julián Faivovich
- Julián Faivovich: División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”–CONICET, Buenos Aires; Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires,
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8
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Naumann B, Schweiger S, Hammel JU, Müller H. Parallel evolution of direct development in frogs - Skin and thyroid gland development in African Squeaker Frogs (Anura: Arthroleptidae: Arthroleptis). Dev Dyn 2021; 250:584-600. [PMID: 33354814 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cases of parallel evolution offer the possibility to identify adaptive traits and to uncover developmental constraints on the evolutionary trajectories of these traits. The independent evolution of direct development from the ancestral biphasic life history in frogs is such a case of parallel evolution. In frogs, aquatic larvae (tadpoles) differ profoundly from their adult forms and exhibit a stunning diversity regarding their habitats, morphology and feeding behaviors. The transition from the tadpole to the adult is a climactic, thyroid hormone (TH)-dependent process of profound and fast morphological rearrangement called metamorphosis. One of the organ systems that experiences the most comprehensive metamorphic rearrangements is the skin. Direct-developing frogs lack a free-swimming tadpole and hatch from terrestrial eggs as fully formed froglets. In the few species examined, development is characterized by the condensed and transient formation of some tadpole-specific features and the early formation of adult-specific features during a "cryptic" metamorphosis. RESULTS We show that skin in direct-developing African squeaker frogs (Arthroleptis) is also repatterned from a tadpole-like to an adult-like histology during a cryptic metamorphosis. This repatterning correlates with histological thyroid gland maturation. A comparison with data from the Puerto Rican coqui (Eleutherodactylus coqui) reveals that the evolution of direct development in these frogs is associated with a comparable heterochronic shift of thyroid gland maturation. CONCLUSION This suggests that the development of many adult features is still dependent on, and possibly constrained by, the ancestral dependency on thyroid hormone signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Susan Schweiger
- Institut für Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung, Jena, Germany
| | - Jörg U Hammel
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Zentrum für Material- und Küstenforschung, Außenstelle am DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hendrik Müller
- Institut für Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung, Jena, Germany.,Zentralmagazin Naturwissenschaftlicher Sammlungen, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.,Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, UK
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9
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Thomas KN, Gower DJ, Bell RC, Fujita MK, Schott RK, Streicher JW. Eye size and investment in frogs and toads correlate with adult habitat, activity pattern and breeding ecology. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201393. [PMID: 32962540 PMCID: PMC7542830 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Frogs and toads (Amphibia: Anura) display diverse ecologies and behaviours, which are often correlated with visual capacity in other vertebrates. Additionally, anurans exhibit a broad range of relative eye sizes, which have not previously been linked to ecological factors in this group. We measured relative investment in eye size and corneal size for 220 species of anurans representing all 55 currently recognized families and tested whether they were correlated with six natural history traits hypothesized to be associated with the evolution of eye size. Anuran eye size was significantly correlated with habitat, with notable decreases in eye investment among fossorial, subfossorial and aquatic species. Relative eye size was also associated with mating habitat and activity pattern. Compared to other vertebrates, anurans have relatively large eyes for their body size, indicating that vision is probably of high importance. Our study reveals the role that ecology and behaviour may have played in the evolution of anuran visual systems and highlights the usefulness of museum specimens, and importance of broad taxonomic sampling, for interpreting macroecological patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate N Thomas
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - David J Gower
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Rayna C Bell
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560-0162, USA.,Department of Herpetology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
| | - Matthew K Fujita
- Department of Biology, Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Ryan K Schott
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560-0162, USA
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10
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Jablonski D, Sadek RA. The Caucasian Toad, Bufo verrucosissimus (Pallas, 1814) in the Levant: evidence from mitochondrial DNA. HERPETOZOA 2019. [DOI: 10.3897/herpetozoa.32.e37560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We present the first molecular analysis of the Bufo bufo (Linnaeus, 1758) complex population in the Levant. This complex contains four species distributed through the Western Palearctic. Based on the analysis of the widely used mitochondrial marker 16S rRNA, populations from the Levant belong to B. verrucosissimus (Pallas, 1814) and have a close affiliation to populations from the Transcaucasian region rather than southern Turkey. Such identified relationships may imply past rapid colonisation from north to south and support the need for further research.
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11
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Lourenço A, Gonçalves J, Carvalho F, Wang IJ, Velo‐Antón G. Comparative landscape genetics reveals the evolution of viviparity reduces genetic connectivity in fire salamanders. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:4573-4591. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- André Lourenço
- Departamento de Biologia Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto Porto Portugal
- CIBIO/InBIO Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do Porto Instituto de Ciências Agrárias de Vairão Vairão Portugal
| | - João Gonçalves
- CIBIO/InBIO Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do Porto Instituto de Ciências Agrárias de Vairão Vairão Portugal
| | - Filipe Carvalho
- CIBIO/InBIO Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do Porto Instituto de Ciências Agrárias de Vairão Vairão Portugal
- Department of Zoology and Entomology School of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Fort Hare Alice South Africa
| | - Ian J. Wang
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management University of California Berkeley CA USA
| | - Guillermo Velo‐Antón
- CIBIO/InBIO Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do Porto Instituto de Ciências Agrárias de Vairão Vairão Portugal
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12
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Description of the Tadpole of the Critically Endangered Ethiopian Toad Altiphrynoides osgoodi (Amphibia: Anura: Bufonidae). J HERPETOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1670/19-047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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13
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Musculoskeletal development of the Central African caecilian Idiocranium russeli (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Indotyphlidae) and its bearing on the re-evolution of larvae in caecilian amphibians. ZOOMORPHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00435-018-0420-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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14
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Fine-scale genetic structure in a salamander with two reproductive modes: Does reproductive mode affect dispersal? Evol Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-018-9957-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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15
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Ceríaco LMP, Marques MP, Bandeira S, Agarwal I, Stanley EL, Bauer AM, Heinicke MP, Blackburn DC. A new earless species of Poyntonophrynus (Anura, Bufonidae) from the Serra da Neve Inselberg, Namibe Province, Angola. Zookeys 2018:109-136. [PMID: 30127660 PMCID: PMC6093966 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.780.25859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
African pygmy toads of the genus Poyntonophrynus are some of the least known species of African toads. The genus comprises ten recognized species endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, five of which are restricted to southwestern Africa. Recent field research in Angola provided new material for three species of Poyntonophrynus, including a morphologically distinctive population from the Serra da Neve Inselberg. Based on a combination of external morphology, high-resolution computed tomography scanning, and molecular phylogenetic analysis, the Serra da Neve population is described as new species that is nested within the genus. The most striking character that differentiates the newly described species from its congeners is the lack of a tympanic middle ear, a condition common in the family Bufonidae, but so far not known for Poyntonophrynus. The description of this new species from southwestern Angola reinforces the biogeographic importance of the region and further suggests that southwestern Africa is the cradle of diversity for this genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis M P Ceríaco
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of Michigan-Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn, Michigan 48128, USA University of Michigan-Dearborn Dearborn United States of America.,Department of Biology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085-1699, USA Universidade de Lisboa Lisbon Portugal.,Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Universidade de Lisboa, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 58, 1269-102 Lisboa, Portugal Villanova University Villanova United States of America
| | - Mariana P Marques
- Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Universidade de Lisboa, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 58, 1269-102 Lisboa, Portugal Villanova University Villanova United States of America.,Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO), InBIO, University of Porto, Rua Padre Armando Quintas 7, Vairão, 4485-661 Porto, Portugal University of Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Suzana Bandeira
- Department of Biology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085-1699, USA Universidade de Lisboa Lisbon Portugal.,Instituto Nacional da Biodiversidade e Áreas de Conservação (INBAC), Ministério do Ambiente de Angola, Centralidade do Kilamba, Rua 26 de Fevereiro, Quarteirão Nimi Ya Lukemi, edifício Q11, 3° andar, Angola Ministério do Ambiente de Angola Luanda Angola
| | - Ishan Agarwal
- Department of Biology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085-1699, USA Universidade de Lisboa Lisbon Portugal
| | - Edward L Stanley
- Department of Natural History, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA University of Florida Gainsville United States of America
| | - Aaron M Bauer
- Department of Biology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085-1699, USA Universidade de Lisboa Lisbon Portugal
| | - Matthew P Heinicke
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of Michigan-Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn, Michigan 48128, USA University of Michigan-Dearborn Dearborn United States of America
| | - David C Blackburn
- Department of Natural History, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA University of Florida Gainsville United States of America
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16
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Liedtke HC, Müller H, Hafner J, Penner J, Gower DJ, Mazuch T, Rödel MO, Loader SP. Terrestrial reproduction as an adaptation to steep terrain in African toads. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.2598. [PMID: 28356450 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 02/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
How evolutionary novelties evolve is a major question in evolutionary biology. It is widely accepted that changes in environmental conditions shift the position of selective optima, and advancements in phylogenetic comparative approaches allow the rigorous testing of such correlated transitions. A longstanding question in vertebrate biology has been the evolution of terrestrial life histories in amphibians and here, by investigating African bufonids, we test whether terrestrial modes of reproduction have evolved as adaptations to particular abiotic habitat parameters. We reconstruct and date the most complete species-level molecular phylogeny and estimate ancestral states for reproductive modes. By correlating continuous habitat measurements from remote sensing data and locality records with life-history transitions, we discover that terrestrial modes of reproduction, including viviparity evolved multiple times in this group, most often directly from fully aquatic modes. Terrestrial modes of reproduction are strongly correlated with steep terrain and low availability of accumulated water sources. Evolutionary transitions to terrestrial modes of reproduction occurred synchronously with or after transitions in habitat, and we, therefore, interpret terrestrial breeding as an adaptation to these abiotic conditions, rather than an exaptation that facilitated the colonization of montane habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Christoph Liedtke
- Department of Environmental Science (Biogeography), University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland .,Ecology, Evolution and Developmental Group, Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Hendrik Müller
- Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem Museum, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Erbertstraße 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Julian Hafner
- Department of Environmental Science (Biogeography), University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.,WSL Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Penner
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany.,Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Straße 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - David J Gower
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | | | - Mark-Oliver Rödel
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Simon P Loader
- Department of Environmental Science (Biogeography), University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15 4JD, UK
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17
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Direct development in African squeaker frogs (Anura: Arthroleptidae: Arthroleptis) reveals a mosaic of derived and plesiomorphic characters. ORG DIVERS EVOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s13127-017-0335-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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