A Phylogenetic and Environmental Analysis of Brazilian Placosoma Lizards

<p><em>Placosoma</em> is a genus comprised of the Brazilian spectacled lizards <em>P. champsonotus</em>, <em>P. cipoense</em>, <em>P. cordylinum</em>, <em>P. glabellum</em>, and <em>P. limaverdorum</em>. While <em>P. champsonotus</em>, <em>P. cordylinum</em>, and <em>P. glabellum</em> occupy the southern coast of Brazil, <em>P. cipoense</em> is found in the montane grasslands north of that range, and <em>P. limaverdorum</em> was recently discovered in forest isolates that persist within the semi-arid Caatinga. This study elucidates the ecological and evolutionary relationships among these morphologically similar lizards. Using mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences, genus-wide phylogenies were inferred through Bayesian inference and a species tree approach, and reconciled with geographical and climate data. I generated DNA sequences for the nuclear markers DNAH3, PRLR, and SINCAIP, and the mitochondrial markers ND4 and 16S for all species but <em>P. limaverdorum</em> (for which tissues are unavailable. Results of the phylogenetic analyses were then compared to an environmental Principle Component Analysis of the range of <em>Placosoma</em> to characterize differences in the environments that each species occupies. Each sampled species of <em>Placosoma</em> was recovered as a monophyletic clade, but discordance was observed between the species tree and non-coalescent-based Bayesian trees. In the environmental PCA, <em>P. champsonotus</em>, <em>P. cordylinum</em>, and <em>P. glabellum</em> occupy similar environmental spaces, while the geographically isolated <em>P. cipoense </em>and <em>P. limaverdorum</em> are each similarly isolated in environmental space, albeit along different climatic variables. Both phylogenetic and environmental analyses suggest that <em>P. champsonotus</em> and its sister species <em>P. glabellum</em> may have diverged recently.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biology

Year dc:date.available

2017

Author dc:creator

• Farje-Van Vlack, Kai A

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ana Carolina Carnaval
• Amy Berkov
• David J. Lohman

• Atlantic Forest
• genetic structure
• phylogeography
• Placosoma
• lizards
• Evolution
• Molecular Genetics

Repository record dc:identifier

https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/707

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:academicworks.cuny.edu:cc_etds_theses-1684