The complex evolutionary history of the tympanic middle ear in frogs and toads (Anura).
Most anurans possess a tympanic middle ear (TME) that transmits sound waves to the inner ear; however, numerous species lack some or all TME components. To understand the evolution of these structures, we undertook a comprehensive assessment of their occurrence across anurans and performed ancestral character state reconstructions. Our analysis indicates that the TME was completely lost at least 38 independent times in Anura. The inferred evolutionary history of the TME is exceptionally complex in true toads (Bufonidae), where it was lost in the most recent common ancestor, preceding a radiation of >150 earless species. Following that initial loss, independent regains of some or all TME structures were inferred within two minor clades and in a radiation of >400 species. The reappearance of the TME in the latter clade was followed by at least 10 losses of the entire TME. The many losses and gains of the TME in anurans is unparalleled among tetrapods. Our results show that anurans, and especially bufonid toads, are an excellent model to study the behavioural correlates of earlessness, extratympanic sound pathways, and the genetic and developmental mechanisms that underlie the morphogenesis of TME structures.
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"-CONICET, Buenos Aires, C1405DJR, Argentina.
Martín O
MO
Pereyra
Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Molly C
MC
Womack
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"-CONICET, Buenos Aires, C1405DJR, Argentina.
J Sebastián
JS
Barrionuevo
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"-CONICET, Buenos Aires, C1405DJR, Argentina.|Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil.
Boris L
BL
Blotto
Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva, Instituto de Biología Subtropical (CONICET-UNaM), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones, Posadas, N3300LQF, Argentina.
Diego
D
Baldo
Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil.
Mariane
M
Targino
Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil.
Jhon Jairo
JJ
Ospina-Sarria
Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático (BioCamb), Ingeniería en Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático, Facultad de Medio Ambiente, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Diego de Robles y Vía Interoceánica, 17-1200-841, Quito, EC170103, Ecuador.|Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Campus Cumbayá, Quito, 170901, Ecuador.
Juan M
JM
Guayasamin
Centro Jambatu de Investigación y Conservación de Anfibios, Fundación Otonga, Geovanni Farina 566 y Baltra, San Rafael, Quito, Ecuador.|Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Muyuna, Tena, Ecuador.
Luis A
LA
Coloma
Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Kim L
KL
Hoke
Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil.
Taran
T
Grant
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"-CONICET, Buenos Aires, C1405DJR, Argentina.|Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1428EGA, Argentina.
Julián
J
Faivovich
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