title: Cryptic lineages and diversification of an endemic anole lizard (Squamata, Dactyloidae) of the Cerrado hotspot.
abstract: The Cerrado is a wide Neotropical savanna with tremendously high endemic diversity. Yet, it is not clear what the prevalent processes leading to such diversification are. We used the Cerrado-endemic lizard Norops meridionalis to investigate the main abiotic factors that promoted genetic divergence, the timings of these divergence events, and how these relate to cryptic diversity in the group. We sequenced mitochondrial and nuclear genes from 21 sites of N. meridionalis to generate species tree, divergence time estimations, and estimate species limits. We also performed population-level analysis and estimated distribution models to test the roles of niche conservatism and divergence in the group diversification. We found that N. meridionalis is composed by at least five cryptic species. Divergence time estimations suggest that the deepest branches split back into the early-mid Miocene, when most of the geophysical activity of the Cerrado took place. The deep divergences found in N. meridionalis suggest that beta anoles invaded South America much earlier than previously thought. Recent published evidence supports this view, indicating that the Panama gap closed as early as 15 mya, allowing for an early invasion of Norops into South America. The spatial pattern of diversification within N. meridionalis follows a northwest-southeast direction, which is consistent across several species of vertebrates endemic to the Cerrado. Also, we found evidence for non-stationary isolation by distance, which occurs when genetic differentiation depends on space. Our preliminary data in two out of five lineages suggest that niche conservatism is an important mechanism that promoted geographic fragmentation in the group.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética e Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, 70910-900 Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil. Electronic address: carlosguarnizo@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Carlos E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Guarnizo
authors.affiliation: Programa de Coleções Científicas Biológicas, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, 69060-000 Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Werneck
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética e Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, 70910-900 Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lilian G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Giugliano
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA.
authors.forename: Marcella G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, 70910-900 Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jéssica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fenker
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética e Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, 70910-900 Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Zoologia, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi/CZO, C.P. 399, 66017-970 Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Annelise B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: D'Angiolella
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética e Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, 70910-900 Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriana R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Básicas e Produção Animal, Faculdade de Agronomia, Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, 78060-900 Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Strüssmann
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Herpetologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-090 São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Miguel T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, 78060-900 Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tainá F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Dorado-Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, & Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55445, USA.
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gamble
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, 70910-900 Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil.
authors.forename: Guarino R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Colli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D014644:Genetic Variation; D065948:Grassland; D008116:Lizards / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
keywords: Miocene; Norops; Phylogeography; Savanna; Speciation; Species delimitation