Diversification across the Palaearctic desert belt throughout the Pleistocene: phylogeographic history of the Houbara-Macqueen's bustard complex (Otididae:Chlamydotis) as revealed by mitochondrial DNA

Abstract

Studies on the influence of Pleistocene climatic fluctuations and associated habitat changes on arid‐adapted bird species living in the Holarctic region are comparatively rare. In contrast to temperate species, the populations of arid‐adapted avian species might be characterized by low genetic differentiation because periods of population isolation were associated with the short interglacial periods, while population expansion events might have occurred during the longer glacial periods when steppe‐like vegetation might have been prevalent. In this study, we tested this hypothesis in a widespread arid‐adapted taxon of the Palaearctic desert belt, the Houbara–Macqueen's bustard complex. The later includes the Houbara bustard Chlamydotis undulata, comprising the North African subspecies Chlamydotis u. undulata and Chlamydotis u. fuertaventurae from the Canary Islands, and the Asian Macqueen's bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii. A long fragment (1042 bp) of the Cyt‐b gene was investigated in 39 representatives of the two species to assess phylogenetic and phylogeographic patterns, and demographic history and to compute divergence time estimates using a Bayesian relaxed molecular clock approach based on different coalescent priors. While the two species are genetically distinct, we found little intraspecific genetic differentiation. The divergence time of the two species falls within a period of extreme aridity at around 0.9 million years ago, which most likely resulted in an east–west vicariance along the Arabo‐Saharan deserts. Differentiation within Houbara and Macqueen's bustard occurred later during the Middle to Upper Pleistocene, and as we have predicted, periods of range expansion were associated to the last glacial period at least in the Macqueen's bustard.

Phylogeography of theOenanthe hispanica-pleschanka-cypriacacomplex (Aves, Muscicapidae: Saxicolinae): Diversification history of open-habitat specialists based on climate niche models, genetic data, and morphometric data

“…The extension of extreme arid areas during such periods was hypothesized to promote vicariance events and hence trigger population divergence and initiate speciation even in arid‐adapted species including Oenanthe (Alaei Kakhki et al., ; Ben Faleh et al., ; Franck et al., ; Guillaumet, Crochet, & Pons, ; Korrida & Schweizer, ; Schweizer & Shirihai, ). Periods of extreme aridity seem also have led to east–west vicariance across the Saharo‐Sindian desert belt in larks of the genus Galerida (Guillaumet et al., ), bustards Chlamydotis undulata/macqueenii (Korrida & Schweizer, ), and other species of Oenanthe (Alaei Kakhki et al., ; Schweizer & Shirihai, ). A similar east–west vicariant event might have separated western specimens of O. h. hispanica from an ancestor of the more easterly distributed taxa of the other clade in the context.…”

“…As a consequence of spending a shorter time in isolation, lower genetic differentiation might be expected across populations of species adapted to steppe-like open areas in comparison with species living in temperate forests (Garcia, Alda, et al 2011 andGarcia, Mañosa, et al 2011;Hewitt, 2000). Yet, there are only a few studies on arid-adapted species and our understanding on how they have reacted to Pleistocene climate cycles is limited (Alaei Kakhki, Aliabadian, & Schweizer, 2016;Byrne et al, 2008;Garcia, Alda, et al 2011 and Garcia, Mañosa, et al 2011;Hafner & Riddle, 2005;Korrida & Schweizer, 2014).…”

Evolutionary systematics and biogeography of the arid habitat-adapted rodent genusGerbillus(Rodentia, Muridae): a mostly Plio-Pleistocene African history

“…Sanmartín for Pachideminae Coleoptera; Dennell ; and Beyin for hominids; Koufos et al. for various mammal species; Voelker and Light for Sylvia warblers; Korrida and Schweizer for Houbara–Macqueen's bustard complex; Smid et al. for the gekkonid Hemidactylus ).…”

“…Vrba 1995;Koufos et al 2005;Bibi 2011) or molecular data (e.g. Chevret and Dobigny 2005;Voelker and Light 2011;Korrida and Schweizer 2014). The genus Gerbillus has a distribution that covers the whole of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia eastwards to Pakistan and western India (Musser and Carleton 2005).…”

Out of Africa: biogeographic history of the open‐habitat chats (Aves, Muscicapidae: Saxicolinae) across arid areas of the old world

“…; Voelker et al . ; Schweizer & Shirihai ; Korrida & Schweizer ). However, there are only a few studies on arid‐adapted avian groups whose distribution area spans over the entire arid and semi‐arid regions of Africa and Eurasia (but see Voelker ; Outlaw et al .…”