Species Divergence in Valleys: the Phylogeny of Complex and Description of a New Species

Overview

Journal PeerJ

Specialties Biology
Environmental Health
General Medicine

Date 2024 Apr 1

PMID 38560456

Authors

Qianru Liang

Lei Shi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Geographic isolation caused by high-altitude valleys promotes the formation of geographic segregation of species, leading to species differentiation. The subgenus contains viviparous species from the Tibetan Plateau and the vicinity of the Tarim Basin, which can be divided into three species complexes according to their geographical distribution: , , and . However, molecular data for the complex are limited and the diversity of this species complex has been greatly underestimated. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the species diversity of and species differentiation within the complex.

Methods: We analysed the species diversity of by combining previous data, constructed a phylogenetic tree of the subgenus based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 16S sequences, and estimated the divergence time.

Results: The results suggest significant genetic differences between the Tarim Basin populations and adjacent mountain valley populations of the complex and that the combination of deep valley landscapes in the high mountains and ice-age events have contributed to the differentiation of the viviparous toad-headed agama lizard, which is a key factor in the phylogenetics of the complex. Furthermore, we identified a population collected from Wuqia County, Xinjiang, as a new species, The results will provide data for phylogenetic studies following the complex and help demonstrate that valleys promote the formation of species.

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