DOCSLIB.ORG

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
BMC Evolutionary Biology BMC Evolutionary Biology This Provisional PDF corresponds to the article as it appeared upon acceptance. Fully formatted PDF and full text (HTML) versions will be made available soon. Toad radiation reveals into-India dispersal as a source of endemism in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot BMC Evolutionary Biology 2009, 9:131 doi:10.1186/1471-2148-9-131 Ines Van Bocxlaer ([email protected]) S D Biju ([email protected]) Simon P Loader ([email protected]) Franky Bossuyt ([email protected]) ISSN 1471-2148 Article type Research article Submission date 29 October 2008 Acceptance date 11 June 2009 Publication date 11 June 2009 Article URL http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/9/131 Like all articles in BMC journals, this peer-reviewed article was published immediately upon acceptance. It can be downloaded, printed and distributed freely for any purposes (see copyright notice below). Articles in BMC journals are listed in PubMed and archived at PubMed Central. For information about publishing your research in BMC journals or any BioMed Central journal, go to http://www.biomedcentral.com/info/authors/ © 2009 Van Bocxlaer et al. , licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Toadradiationrevealsinto-Indiadispersalasasourceofendemismin theWesternGhats-SriLankabiodiversityhotspot InesVanBocxlaer1,S.D.Biju2,SimonP.Loader3andFrankyBossuyt1* Address: 1AmphibianEvolutionLab,BiologyDepartment,UnitofEcology&Systematics,Vrije UniversiteitBrussel(VUB),Pleinlaan2,B-1050Brussels,Belgium 2 Systematics Lab, Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems (CEMDE),SchoolofEnvironmentalStudies,UniversityofDelhi110007,India 3InstituteofBiogeography,DepartmentofEnvironmentalSciences,UniversityofBasel, Klingelbergstrasse27,4056Basel,Switzerland. Email: Ines Van Bocxlaer - [email protected]; S.D. Biju - [email protected]; [email protected];[email protected] *Correspondingauthor 1 Abstract Background: High taxonomic level endemism in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversityhotspothasbeentypicallyattributedtothesubcontinent'sgeologicalhistory of long-term isolation. Subsequent out of - and into India dispersal of species after accretiontotheEurasianmainlandisthereforeoftenseenasabiogeographicfactorthat ‘diluted’ the composition of previously isolated Indian biota. However, few molecular studies have focussed on into-India dispersal as a possible source of endemism on the subcontinent. Using c. 6000 base pairs of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, we investigatedtheevolutionaryhistoryandbiogeographyoftruetoads(Bufonidae),agroup thatcolonizedtheIndianSubcontinentaftertheIndo-Asiacollision. Results:Contrarytopreviousstudies,OldWorldtoadswererecoveredasanestedclade withinNewWorldBufonidae,indicatingasinglecolonizationevent.Speciescurrently classified as Ansonia and Pedostibes were both recovered as being non-monophyletic, providingevidencefortheindependentoriginoftorrentialandarborealecomorphsonthe Indian subcontinent and in South-East Asia. Our analyses also revealed a previously unrecognized adaptive radiation of toads containing a variety of larval and adult ecomorphs.Moleculardatingestimatesandbiogeographicanalysesindicatethattheearly diversificationofthiscladehappenedintheWesternGhatsandSriLankaduringtheLate OligocenetoEarlyMiocene. Conclusion: PaleoclimatereconstructionshaveshownthattheEarlyNeogeneof India was marked by major environmental changes, with the transition from a zonal- to the current monsoon-dominated climate. After arrival in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka hotspot,toadsdiversifiedinsitu,withonlyonelineageabletosuccessfullydisperseout 2 of these mountains. Consequently, higher taxonomic level endemism on the Indian SubcontinentisnotonlytheresultofCretaceousisolation,butalsoofinvasion,isolation andradiationofnewelementsafteraccretiontotheEurasianmainland. 3 Background TheWesternGhatsof IndiaandhighlandsofSri Lankaarea global biodiversity hotspot,i.e.theycontainseveralendemicanimalandplantspecieswhicharerecognised asbeingdistinctatahightaxonomiclevel[1].Endemismisparticularlymarkedamong amphibians,withover75%ofsubcontinentspeciesrestrictedtothisregionalone[2,3]. Explainingbiogeographicpatternshasmainlyfocussedonthegeologicalhistoryofthe subcontinent,whichindicatesprolongedperiodsofisolationfromtheLateCretaceousto the Early Tertiary [4-9]. Before joining the Eurasian mainland, India was part of Gondwana (South-America, Africa, Indo-Madagascar, Australia-New Guinea and Antarctica)andgraduallybecamedetachedfromotherlandmassesduringitsnorthward journeyacrosstheTethysSea [10-12]. Althoughtheactualisolation of Indiahasbeen debated (see [13] and references therein), molecular studies have demonstrated the presence of ancient lineages in India, and these are interpreted as evidence of this geologicalhistory[4-6]. ThesubsequentaccretionoftheIndianplateintoEurasiaduringtheEarlyTertiary [13] was a potential catalyst for biotic exchange between the subcontinent and the Eurasian mainland. It has been shown that an out-of-India dispersal of Gondwanan elementsintoEurasiaresultedinthewiderdistributionofpreviouslyisolatedgroups[5, 14-17]. However, less attention has been given to the opportunity of "into-India" movementofLaurasianspeciesaftertheestablishmentofthisnewgeologicalconnection. TheexchangeofspeciesbetweentheIndianSubcontinentandEurasiamusthavebeen affectedbythegeomorphologicalchangesgeneratedaftertheircollision.Theupliftofthe HimalayasandtheTibetanPlateaunotonlycreatedphysicalbarriersfordispersal,but also heavily influenced the prevalent climate [18, 19]. The climatic regime in Asia 4 changedfromazonal-patterntoamonsoon-dominantsystem,areorganizationthathad majorconsequencesforAsianandIndianterrestrialecosystems[20,21]. Truetoads(Bufonidae)areafamilyofanuranswithawidedistribution,comprising over 500 species [22, 23]. Their present-day natural absence on several landmasses of Gondwanan origin (Australia, Madagascar, Seychelles), their nested position within Nobleobatrachia (Hyloidea sensu [6]), and their recent origin [24-26], imply that they reachedtheIndiansubcontinentonlyaftertheIndo-Asiacollision.Toadsthusconstitute an ideal group for studying Tertiary into-India dispersal. Despite numerous studies on phylogenetic relationships in Bufonidae [27-38], species from the Indian subcontinent were always underrepresented and their phylogenetic relationships remain largely elusive.Inadditiontomultiplespecieswhosetaxonomicaffiliationsareuncertain(i.e., provisionallylabelled"Bufo"pendingmoredetailedphylogeneticevidence[37]),toads on the Indian subcontinent are classified in five genera: Bufoides (North-India) and Adenomus(SriLanka)areconsideredendemictothesubcontinent,Duttaphrynushasa widedistribution,andtorrentiallyadaptedAnsoniaandarborealPedostibesspeciesshow disjunct distributions in wet–zone areas of South-East Asia and India [23]. Current taxonomythereforesuggestsmultipledispersaleventsbetweentheIndiansubcontinent andadjacentregions. Hereweanalysedacombinedsetofmitochondrialandnucleargenefragmentsto investigate phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of Indian Bufonidae. Our sampling includes 15 toads from the subcontinent and a representative diversity of species of adjacent regions, with particular attention to shared genera Ansonia, Pedostibes and Duttaphrynus. We performed dating estimates and biogeographic analyses to investigate biotic exchange between the Indian subcontinent and adjacent 5 regions, and evaluated how this affected endemism in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversityhotspot. ResultsandDiscussion PhylogeneticrelationshipsofBufonidae Ourdatamatrixconsistsof6309basepairs(bp,4339bpmitochondrial-and1970 bp nuclear DNA), 5116 bp of which could be unambiguously aligned. Maximum Parsimony(MP)analysesofthetotaldatasetproduced2equallyparsimonioustreesof 15224steps.Maximumlikelihood(ML)analysesofthetotaldatasetproducedasingle MLtree(-lnL=71238.66624,withgammashapeparameter=0.533,andproportionof invariable sites = 0.483), which is very similar to the Bayesian consensus phylogram (Figure1). Ouranalysesconfidentlydeterminethephylogeneticpositionoftenknown species currently treated as incertae sedis (“Bufo” in Figure 1). In agreement with previousevidence[31,32],werecoverwithhighsupporttheNorthernAfrican“Bufo” mauritanicusassisterspeciesofasub-SaharanAmietophrynusclade(Figure1).Basedon thissupport,wesuggesttransferringthespecies"Bufo"mauritanicusSchlegel,1841to the genus Amietophrynus. The remaining "Bufo" species in our study are nested in, or closelyrelatedtothegenusDuttaphrynusasoriginallydefined([37],i.e.inessencethe Bufomelanostictusgroupsensulato[39,40],Table1).TheBufoscabergroup[39],here represented by “Bufo” scaber and “Bufo” atukoralei, is nested in Duttaphrynus. To restoremonophylyofDuttaphrynusandtoplacesampled“Bufo”speciesinataxonomic framework, we suggest expanding Duttaphrynus to include the most recent common ancestorofBufomelanostictus(Schneider,1799)andBufostomaticusLütken,1864,and all of its descendants. Eight known species, including those belonging to the Bufo 6 stomaticusgroup sensu [39] (hererepresentedby “Bufo”dhufarensis,“Bufo”hololius and“Bufo”stomaticus),arethustransferredtothisgenus(Figure1,2). Incontrasttopreviousstudies,werecoverwithhighsupporttheOldWorldtoadsas a clade
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Amolops Afghanus (Guenther
    INTRODUCTION The amphibians are ecologically and diversified amphibian fauna of north-western economically improtant group of animals which India is little known. Amphibians of the Himalaya have played a significant role in various scientific (High altitude) are vividly different from those of spheres and contributed directly to economy of the plains of India, and have adapted to this country. Amphibians, specially the anurans, have environment in a most befitting manner. The study been exploited for food and as medicine in India of high altitude amphibia is, therefore, of much and abroad. Recently, frog legs have earned for scientific importance. the country millions of rupees in foreign exchange each year. These creatures have become laboratory Amphibians form a very important link in animals for medical research on the important evolutionary history of vertebrates. In recent times. aspect of standardization of human pregnancy they have evolved into three diverse groups or test. The most important medical research in recent orders. The first of these Gymnophiona or Apoda, years reveals that 'Serotonin', a hormone like commonly called as limbless frogs. The second substance found in the secretion of parotid glands Caudata or Urodela, commonly known as newts of toads produces •Antiserotonin' which may be and salamanders. The third and largest order of used in treating Schizophrenia, Bronchial Asthm~ modem amphibians Salientia or Anura to which and several allergic diseases. Their educational frogs and toads belong. In India, this group of value and significant role in controlling harmful verebrates represented by all the three types but insects and pests that damage our crops have predominant component is Anura.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecology and Demography of the Critically Endangered Kandian Torrent Toad Adenomus Kandianus: a Long-Lost Endemic Species of Sri Lanka
    Ecology and demography of the Critically Endangered Kandian torrent toad Adenomus kandianus: a long-lost endemic species of Sri Lanka S URANJAN K ARUNARATHNA,SUJAN H ENKANATHTHEGEDARA,DINESH G ABADAGE M ADHAVA B OTEJUE,MAJINTHA M ADAWALA and T HILINA D. SURASINGHE Abstract The tropical island nation of Sri Lanka is a bio- Keywords Adenomus kandianus, Amphibia, Bufonidae, diversity hotspot with a high diversity and endemism of am- conservation, Critically Endangered, montane streams, phibians. The endemic, stream-dwelling Kandian torrent Sri Lanka, tropical rainforests toad Adenomus kandianus is Critically Endangered and was considered to be extinct until its rediscovery in . The species is now known from two localities in tropical Introduction montane forests. We conducted a -year study using tran- sect surveys and opportunistic excursions to assess habitat he South Asian tropical island of Sri Lanka is rich in associations, demographics and abundance of A. kandianus Tamphibian diversity (Meegaskumbura et al., ). in and around Pidurutalagala Conservation Forest. We re- Of the country’s described amphibian species corded a mean of . post-metamorphs per year, with a (c. %) are endemic and . % are restricted to rainforests density of , individual per m , with occurrence within (Surasinghe, ; Wickramasinghe et al., ). Sri Lanka’s a narrow extent (c. km ) of the stream channel. amphibians are threatened by deforestation, environmental Behaviour and microhabitat selection varied depending on pollution and road traffic (Pethiyagoda et al., ; sex and stage of maturity. The species preferred moderately Karunarathna et al., ). These anthropogenic stressors have sized montane streams with rocky substrates and woody contributed to the extinction of amphibian species, and de- debris, colder temperatures, and closed-canopy, intact ri- clining populations of nearly half of the extant species (MOE, parian forests.
    [Show full text]
  • Non-Native Small Terrestrial Vertebrates in the Galapagos 2 3 Diego F
    1 Non-Native Small Terrestrial Vertebrates in the Galapagos 2 3 Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia 4 5 Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Laboratorio de Zoología 6 Terrestre & Museo de Zoología, Quito 170901, Ecuador 7 8 King’s College London, Department of Geography, London, UK 9 10 Email address: [email protected] 11 12 13 14 Introduction 15 Movement of propagules of a species from its current range to a new area—i.e., extra-range 16 dispersal—is a natural process that has been fundamental to the development of biogeographic 17 patterns throughout Earth’s history (Wilson et al. 2009). Individuals moving to new areas usually 18 confront a different set of biotic and abiotic variables, and most dispersed individuals do not 19 survive. However, if they are capable of surviving and adapting to the new conditions, they may 20 establish self-sufficient populations, colonise the new areas, and even spread into nearby 21 locations (Mack et al. 2000). In doing so, they will produce ecological transformations in the 22 new areas, which may lead to changes in other species’ populations and communities, speciation 23 and the formation of new ecosystems (Wilson et al. 2009). 24 25 Human extra-range dispersals since the Pleistocene have produced important distribution 26 changes across species of all taxonomic groups. Along our prehistory and history, we have aided 27 other species’ extra-range dispersals either by deliberate translocations or by ecological 28 facilitation due to habitat changes or modification of ecological relationships (Boivin et al. 29 2016).
    [Show full text]
  • The Internet-Based Southeast Asia Amphibian Pet Trade
    Rebecca E. Choquette et al. THE INTERNET-BASED SOUTHEAST ASIA AMPHIBIAN PET TRADE by Rebecca E. Choquette Ariadne Angulo Phillip J. Bishop Chi T. B. Phan Jodi J. L. Rowley © BROOBAS/CC BY-SA 4.0 © BROOBAS/CC BY-SA Polypedates otilophus Amphibians, as a class, are the most threatened vertebrates on the planet, with 41% of species threatened with extinction. Southeast Asian amphibian species in particular have been impacted by a high rate of habitat loss, and overharvesting for consumption, traditional medicine, and the pet trade has placed further pressure on populations. Collection for the pet trade is a online availability and demand for the pet trade of Southeast Asian amphibian species. We found postings for 59 Southeast Asian posts associated with the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, the United States, Russia, and Germany. We highlight several species 68 TRAFFIC Bulletin Rebecca E. Choquette et al. The internet-based Southeast Asian amphibian pet trade Aet METHODS alet al et alet al et al study. et al et al et al researchers. Amphibian Species of the World et alet al et al et al et al et alet alet al. et al Yuan et al et al et alet al TRAFFIC Bulletin
    [Show full text]
  • Meet the Amphibian Ark's Steering Committee! (Part 2) Sri Lankan Amphibian Conservation Needs Assessment Workshop Amphibian Hu
    AArk Newsletter No. 9, December 2009 Meet the Amphibian Ark’s The Amphibian Ark team is pleased to send you the latest edition of our e- Steering Committee! (Part 2) newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading it. Sri Lankan Amphibian The Amphibian Ark Conservation Needs Assessment workshop Meet the Amphibian Ark’s Steering Committee! (Part 2) Kevin Zippel, Program Director, Amphibian Ark Amphibian husbandry training in In the last AArk Newsletter we got to know some of the members of the AArk Brazil Steering Committee. In this issue, we'd like to introduce some of the other members, and our new WAZA representative, Chris West. Amphibian Ark Husbandry Read More >> Essentials workshop, Panama Sri Lankan Amphibian Conservation Needs Assessment Sri Lankan capacity-building workshop extravaganza Richard Gibson, Taxon Officer, Amphibian Ark An Amphibian Conservation Needs Assessment workshop was recently held in Sri Amphibian Conservation Lanka, and facillitated by AArk Taxon Officer Richard Gibson. Research Guide Read More >> The FrogMatters internet blog – Posts from the Amphibian Ark Amphibian husbandry training in Brazil Ron Gagliardo, Training Officer, Amphibian Ark GoodSearch.org – Supporting the Over thirty students attended the first AArk Amphibian Husbandry Workshop in Amphibian Ark has never been Brazil in September. This workshop followed the AArk Conservation Needs easier! Assessment workshop that was held in Sao Paulo in August. Read More >> Chytrid fungus: new developments in our understanding Amphibian Ark Husbandry Essentials workshop, Panama Ron Gagliardo, Training Officer, Amphibian Ark Amphibians in the news A three-day husbandry training course was held in October in El Valle de Anton, Panama. The agenda covered specific husbandry techniques, captive reproduction and climate control but also had special focus on veterinary care, health and Darwin’s frog conservation efforts nutrition and food colonies.
    [Show full text]
  • Cuban Treefrog (Osteopilus Septentrionalis) ERSS
    Cuban Treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) Ecological Risk Screening Summary U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, September 2014 Revised, May 2018 Web Version, 1/30/2019 Photo: Denise Gregoire, U.S. Geological Survey. Licensed under Public Domain – Government Work. Available: https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=57. (May 2018). 1 Native Range and Status in the United States Native Range From Somma et al. (2018): “Osteopilus septentrionalis is indigenous to Cuba, Isla de la Juventud (=Isle of Youth or Isle of Pines), the Bahamas, including San Salvador and Acklins Island, and the Cayman Islands (Echternacht et al., 2011; Heinicke et al., 2011; Krysko et al., 2011a).” From GISD (2018) lists Osteopilus septentrionalis as native in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, and Seychelles. 1 From AmphibiaWeb (2009): “This species is native to Cuba, the Isla de Pinos, the Bahamas Islands including Little Bahama Bank, Grand Bahama Bank, San Salvador, Rum, Crooked, and Acklins Islands, and the Cayman Islands including Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac (Duellman and Crombie 1970).” Status in the United States From Somma et al. (2018): “The Cuban treefrog was first introduced to Florida at Key West (Barbour 1931), and has been established in mainland Florida since at least 1951 (Schwartz 1952).” “In Louisiana, individual Cuban Treefrogs have been observed occasionally in the nursery department of a home improvement store in New Orleans as early as the 1990s (Bob Thomas, pers. comm.).” “Other nonindigenous populations of Cuban Treefrogs are reported from the Caribbean: St. Croix and St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands), […]” “In southern, central, and northern peninsular Florida, including the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas, O.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Species of Frog (Terrarana, Strabomantidae, Phrynopus) from the Peruvian Andean Grasslands
    A new species of frog (Terrarana, Strabomantidae, Phrynopus) from the Peruvian Andean grasslands Germán Chávez1,3, Luis Alberto García Ayachi1,3 and Alessandro Catenazzi1,2,3 1 División de Herpetología, CORBIDI, Lima, Perú 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States of America 3 Instituto Peruano de Herpetología, Lima, Perú ABSTRACT We describe a new, medium-sized species of terrestrial frog of the genus Phrynopus from a single locality in the central Andes of Peru (Departamento de Huánuco) at 3,730 meters of elevation. Phylogenetic analyses supported Phrynopus remotum sp. nov. as an independent lineage, sister to most of its congeners. The new species is morphologically distinguishable by the presence of small tubercles on upper eyelids and heels, an areolate venter, and the absence of dorsolateral folds or ridges. This species inhabits the highlands adjacent to the Marañón Dry valley. The only sympatric amphibian species recorded is the marsupial frog Gastrotheca peruana. Subjects Biodiversity, Conservation Biology, Ecology, Taxonomy, Zoology Keywords Phrynopus, Andes, Peru, Areolate venter, Phylogenetic, Lineage, Huánuco, Marañón INTRODUCTION Terrestrial-breeding frogs of the genus Phrynopus inhabit Andean highland habitats such as puna grasslands and montane forests in central and northern Peru (Lehr, Moravec & Cusi, 2012). Twelve species (over a third of the current diversity of the genus) have been Submitted 13 April 2020 described since 2012. Except for P. mariellaleo Venegas et al. (2018) from northern Peru, all Accepted 6 June 2020 other recently described species occur in central Peru. Moreover, the distribution ranges Published 24 June 2020 of most species are restricted to one or two localities, and rarely overlap with the range Corresponding author of congeneric species.
    [Show full text]
  • The First Endemic West African Vertebrate Family – a New Anuran Family Highlighting the Uniqueness of the Upper Guinean Biodiversity Hotspot Barej Et Al
    The first endemic West African vertebrate family – a new anuran family highlighting the uniqueness of the Upper Guinean biodiversity hotspot Barej et al. Barej et al. Frontiers in Zoology 2014, 11:8 http://www.frontiersinzoology.com/content/11/1/8 Barej et al. Frontiers in Zoology 2014, 11:8 http://www.frontiersinzoology.com/content/11/1/8 RESEARCH Open Access The first endemic West African vertebrate family – a new anuran family highlighting the uniqueness of the Upper Guinean biodiversity hotspot Michael F Barej1*, Andreas Schmitz2, Rainer Günther1, Simon P Loader3, Kristin Mahlow1 and Mark-Oliver Rödel1 Abstract Background: Higher-level systematics in amphibians is relatively stable. However, recent phylogenetic studies of African torrent-frogs have uncovered high divergence in these phenotypically and ecologically similar frogs, in particular between West African torrent-frogs versus Central (Petropedetes) and East African (Arthroleptides and Ericabatrachus) lineages. Because of the considerable molecular divergence, and external morphology of the single West African torrent-frog species a new genus was erected (Odontobatrachus). In this study we aim to clarify the systematic position of West African torrent-frogs (Odontobatrachus). We determine the relationships of torrent-frogs using a multi-locus, nuclear and mitochondrial, dataset and include genera of all African and Asian ranoid families. Using micro-tomographic scanning we examine osteology and external morphological features of West African torrent-frogs to compare them with other ranoids. Results: Our analyses reveal Petropedetidae (Arthroleptides, Ericabatrachus, Petropedetes) as the sister taxon of the Pyxicephalidae. The phylogenetic position of Odontobatrachus is clearly outside Petropedetidae, and not closely related to any other ranoid family.
    [Show full text]
  • Morphological and Genetic Variations of Ingerophrynus Parvus (Boulenger, 1887) in Southern Thailand
    Morphological and Genetic Variations of Ingerophrynus parvus (Boulenger, 1887) in Southern Thailand Lalita Srion A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Zoology Prince of Songkla University 2018 Copyright of Prince of Songkla University i Morphological and Genetic Variations of Ingerophrynus parvus (Boulenger, 1887) in Southern Thailand Lalita Srion A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Zoology Prince of Songkla University 2018 Copyright of Prince of Songkla University ii Thesis Title Morphological and Genetic Variations of Ingerophrynus parvus (Boulenger, 1887) in Southern Thailand Author Miss Lalita Srion Major Program Zoology __________________________________________________________ Major Advisor Examining Committee : ..................................................... ........................................Chairperson (Dr. Sansareeya Wangkulangkul) (Dr. Singtoe Boonrotpong) ..........................................Committee (Dr. Sansareeya Wangkulangkul) Co-advisor ..........................................Committee (Asst. Prof. Dr. Anchalee Aowphol) ..................................................... (Asst. Prof. Dr. Anchalee Aowphol) ..........................................Committee (Asst. Prof. Dr. Wichase Khonsue) The Graduate School, Prince of Songkla University, has approved this thesis as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Zoology .....................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Profile of Biodiversity in India
    Chapter 4 Profile of Biodiversity in India India, with 2.4% of the world’s area, has over 8% of the world’s total biodiversity, making it one of the 12 megadiver- sity countries in the world. This status is based on the species richness and levels of endemism recorded in a wide range of taxa of both plants and animals.This diversity can be attributed to the vast variety of landforms and climates, resulting in habitats ranging from tropical to temperate and from alpine to desert (see Map 4.1). Adding to this is a very high diversity of human-influenced ecosystems, including agricultural and pasture lands, and a diversity of domesticated plants and animals, one of the world’s largest. India is also considered one of the world’s eight centres of origin of cultivated plants. Being a predominantly agricultural country, India also has a mix of wild and cultivated habitats, giving rise to very specialised biodiversity, which is specific to the confluence of two or more habitats. The first part of this chapter takes a look at India’s ecosystem, its species, and its genetic diversity, both ‘natural’and ‘domesticated’.The second part discusses the diverse uses of this biological diversity and the values attributed to it. 4.1 Components, Range, Global Position and Current Status of Biodiversity 4.1.1 Natural Ecosystems Biogeographic Zones of India The tendency to classify ecological regions,and plant and animal groupings,according to their geographical dis- tribution and their essential similarities and differences, is not new. Traditional human communities did this on the basis of their own understanding, though their knowledge was necessarily somewhat restricted in its geo- graphical spread (Banwari 1992; Gurukkal 1989).
    [Show full text]
  • Field Guide to the Amphibians and Turtles of the Deramakot and Tangkulap Pinangah Forest Reserves
    Field guide to the amphibians and turtles of the Deramakot and Tangkulap Pinangah Forest Reserves Created by: Sami Asad, Victor Vitalis and Adi Shabrani INTRODUCTION The island of Borneo possesses a diverse array of amphibian species with more than 180 species currently described. Despite the high diversity of Bornean amphibians, data on their ecology, behaviour, life history and responses to disturbance are poorly understood. Amphibians play important roles within tropical ecosystems, providing prey for many species and predating invertebrates. This group is particularly sensitive to changes in habitat (particularly changes in temperature, water quality and micro-habitat availability). As such, the presence of a diverse amphibian community is a good indicator of a healthy forest ecosystem. The Deramakot (DFR) and Tangkulap Pinangah Forest Reserves (TPFR) are located in Sabah’s north Kinabatangan region (Figure. 1). The DFR is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and utilizes Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) techniques. The neighbouring TPFR has utilized Conventional Logging (CL) techniques. Conventional logging ceased in the TPFR in 2001, and the area’s forests are now at varying stages of regeneration. Previous research by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), shows that these concessions support very high mammalian diversity. Figure. 1: Location of the Deramakot (DFR) and Tangkulap Pinangah Forest Reserves (TPFR) in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Between the years 2017 – 2019, an amphibian and reptile research project conducted in collaboration between the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN), IZW and the Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) identified high amphibian diversity within the reserves. In total 52 amphibian species have been recorded (including one caecilian), constituting 27% of Borneo’s total amphibian diversity, comparable to two neighbouring unlogged sites (Maliau basin: 59 sp, Danum Valley: 55 sp).
    [Show full text]
  • Evidence from a Seychelles Caecilian Amphibian
    The roles of vicariance and isolation by distance in shaping biotic diversication across an ancient archipelago: evidence from a Seychelles caecilian amphibian Simon T Maddock ( [email protected] ) University of Wolverhampton https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5455-6990 Ronald A Nussbaum University of Michigan Julia J Day University College London Leigh Latta IV Lewis-Clark State College Mark Miller Utah State University Debra L Fisk University of Wisconsin Mark Wilkinson Natural History Museum, London Sara Rocha University of Vigo David Gower Natural History Museum, London Michael E Pfrender University of Notre Dame Research article Keywords: adaptation, AFLPs, biogeography, caecilian, evolution, islands, morphology Posted Date: April 13th, 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-21809/v1 License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Read Full License Page 1/33 Version of Record: A version of this preprint was published on August 26th, 2020. See the published version at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-020-01673-w. Page 2/33 Abstract Background: Island systems offer excellent opportunities for studying the evolutionary histories of species by virtue of their restricted size and easily identiable barriers to gene ow. However, most studies investigating evolutionary patterns and processes shaping biotic diversication have focused on more recent (emergent) rather than ancient oceanic archipelagos. Here, we focus on the granitic islands of the Seychelles, which are unusual among island systems because they have been isolated for a long time and are home to a radiation of caecilian amphibians that have been separated from their extant sister lineage for ca.
    [Show full text]