A river runs through it: Tree frog genomics supports the Dead Sea Rift as a rare phylogeographical break
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24 janvier 2025
- 10938/25127
- 2-s2.0-85070810908
Ce document est lié à :
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
Mots-clés
Amphibians Biodiversity Biogeography Hyla felixarabica Hyla savignyi Levant Rad-sequencing Speciation Dead sea rift Jordan valley Mediterranean region Amphibia Hyla Hylidae Ecological modeling Frog Genetic analysis Genomics Niche Phylogeography Rare species Reproductive isolation River Speciation (biology)Sujets proches
Speciation (Biology) Asia, South West Eastern Mediterranean Levant East (Middle East) Fertile Crescent Near East Mediterranean Region, Eastern Northern Tier (Middle East) Southwest Asia South West Asia Asia, Western Asia, Southwest Mideast Cadavers Remains, Human Corpses Human remains DeceasedCiter ce document
Dufresnes et al., « A river runs through it: Tree frog genomics supports the Dead Sea Rift as a rare phylogeographical break », American University of Beirut ScholarWorks
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Résumé
Phylogeographical breaks can be viewed as regional hotspots of diversity where the genetic integrity of incipient species is put to the test. We focus on an understudied species transition from the Middle East, namely the Dead Sea Rift in the Levant region, which presumably divided the tree frogs Hyla savignyi and H. felixarabica. Combining multilocus genetic analyses (mitochondrial DNA and RAD-sequencing) with ecological niche modelling, we test whether the rift effectively acts as a biogeographical barrier preventing this pair from admixing and merging. The answer is yes: despite weak signs of introgression, all parapatric populations were assigned to either species without cyto-nuclear discordance. Yet, the projected distributions under present and glacial conditions largely overlapped in the area, meaning their current parapatric ranges do not represent an ecological transition. Instead, we hypothesize that H. savignyi and H. felixarabica are maintained apart by limited opportunities for dispersal across the barren Jordan Valley, combined with advanced reproductive isolation. Therefore, the Dead Sea Rift may represent a rare phylogeographical break, and we encourage international efforts to assess its contribution to the rich biodiversity of the Middle East. © 2019 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.
