Not All Molossus are Created Equal: Genetic Variation in the Mastiff Bat Reveals Diversity Masked by Conservative Morphology

Loureiro, Lívia O.; Engstrom, Mark D.; Lim, Burton K.; González, Celia López; Juste, Javier

doi:10.3161/15081109acc2019.21.1.004

Cited by 32 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Previous studies based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes have reported that the population of M coibensis from the savannas formed a distinct clade relative to M. coibensis from forests of South and Middle America, suggesting that this population might belong to a putative new species (Lim & Engstrom, 2001;Lim & Lee, 2018;Loureiro et al, 2019). Although this population is genetically distinctive, it has a low degree of isolation with a high number of immigrants per generation (Table 1).…”

Section: Repeated Cycles Of Expansion and Fragmentation Of Savannas Imentioning

confidence: 79%

“…However, based on morphological characters, all Caribbean species and subspecies of Molossus were previously synonymized under the name M. molossus (Dolan, 1989;Eger, 2008;Simmons, 2005). Recent studies based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes, however, demonstrated that M. verrilli from the Dominican Republic, and M. milleri from Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Jamaica are distinct species, restricting the distribution of M. molossus in the Caribbean to the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico (Lim et al, 2017;Loureiro et al, 2019;Loureiro, Gregorin, et al, 2018). M. milleri is morphologically similar to M. verrilli and M. molossus and occupies both forests and urban areas in the Greater Antilles (Taylor et al, in press).…”

Section: Although Phylogenetic Relationships Among Some Clades Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Molossus are uncertain, 14 species are currently recognized (Lindsey & Ammerman, 2016;Lim, Loureiro, Upham, & Brocca, 2017;Loureiro, Gregorin, et al, 2018;Loureiro, Engstrom, & Lim, 2019;Loureiro et al, in review), but relationships among populations within species have not been examined. We investigated population structure in three species of Molossus, which represent the different ecological requirements and geographic distributions found in the genus: M. coibensis, M. molossus, and M. milleri.…”

Section: Although Phylogenetic Relationships Among Some Clades Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This species also is present on both the west and east sides of the Andes. Several geographic populations were originally described as subspecies of M. molossus based on morphological characters but have been relegated as synonyms based on molecular and further morphological analyses (Dolan, 1989;Loureiro et al, 2019;Loureiro, Gregorin, et al, 2018) Several other supposed subspecies of M. molossus have been described that are confined to one or a few Caribbean islands (Dolan, 1989;Loureiro, Gregorin, et al, 2018). However, based on morphological characters, all Caribbean species and subspecies of Molossus were previously synonymized under the name M. molossus (Dolan, 1989;Eger, 2008;Simmons, 2005).…”

Section: Although Phylogenetic Relationships Among Some Clades Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparative phylogeography of mainland and insular species of Neotropical molossid bats (Molossus)

Loureiro

Engstrom

Lim

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Historical events, habitat preferences, and geographic barriers might result in distinct genetic patterns in insular versus mainland populations. Comparison between these two biogeographic systems provides an opportunity to investigate the relative role of isolation in phylogeographic patterns and to elucidate the importance of evolution and demographic history in population structure. Herein, we use a genotype‐by‐sequencing approach (GBS) to explore population structure within three species of mastiff bats (Molossus molossus, M. coibensis, and M. milleri), which represent different ecological histories and geographical distributions in the genus. We tested the hypotheses that oceanic straits serve as barriers to dispersal in Caribbean bats and that isolated island populations are more likely to experience genetic drift and bottlenecks in comparison with highly connected ones, thus leading to different phylogeographic patterns. We show that population structures vary according to general habitat preferences, levels of population isolation, and historical fluctuations in climate. In our dataset, mainland geographic barriers played only a small role in isolation of lineages. However, oceanic straits posed a partial barrier to the dispersal for some populations within some species (M. milleri), but do not seem to disrupt gene flow in others (M. molossus). Lineages on distant islands undergo genetic bottlenecks more frequently than island lineages closer to the mainland, which have a greater exchange of haplotypes.

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Section: Repeated Cycles Of Expansion and Fragmentation Of Savannas Imentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Although Phylogenetic Relationships Among Some Clades Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Although Phylogenetic Relationships Among Some Clades Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Although Phylogenetic Relationships Among Some Clades Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Comparative phylogeography of mainland and insular species of Neotropical molossid bats (Molossus)

Loureiro

Engstrom

Lim

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…A recent study using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) [24] . Each cryptic complex is not reciprocally monophyletic, but instead includes morphologically similar species based on characters traditionally used to identify taxa in the genus, such as size, hair patterns, and cranial characters [20,23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does evolution of echolocation calls and morphology in Molossus result from convergence or stasis?

2020

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Although many processes of diversification have been described to explain variation of morphological traits within clades that have obvious differentiation among taxa, not much is known about these patterns in complexes of cryptic species. Molossus is a genus of bats that is mainly Neotropical, occurring from the southeastern United States to southern Argentina, including the Caribbean islands. Molossus comprises some groups of species that are morphologically similar but phylogenetically divergent, and other groups of species that are genetically similar but morphologically distinct. This contrast allows investigation of unequal trait diversification and the evolution of morphological and behavioural characters. In this study, we assessed the role of phylogenetic history in a genus of bat with three cryptic species complexes, and evaluated if morphology and behavior are evolving concertedly. The Genotype by Sequence genomic approach was used to build a species-level phylogenetic tree for Molossus and to estimate the ancestral states of morphological and echolocation call characters. We measured the correlation of phylogenetic distances to morphological and echolocation distances, and tested the relationship between morphology and behavior when the effect of phylogeny is removed. Morphology evolved via a mosaic of convergence and stasis, whereas call design was influenced exclusively through local adaptation and convergent evolution. Furthermore, the frequency of echolocation calls is negatively correlated with the size of the bat, but other characters do not seem to be evolving in concert. We hypothesize that slight variation in both morphology and behaviour among species of the genus might result from niche specialization, and that traits evolve to avoid competition for resources in similar environments.

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Comparative study of the gular gland of three species of Molossidae bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from South America

Rodriguez

Olea

Aguirre

et al. 2023

The Anatomical Record

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The gular gland is a skin gland located in the suprasternal region of adult males of some bat families. Knowledge of the morphology and functional aspects of these gland types is often limited. This study aimed to describe the structure and composition of the gular glands of three molossid species (Eumops patagonicus, Molossus fluminensis and Molossus molossus) with respect to their reproductive activity and to define the mechanism involved in secretion release. Different histological, histochemical and immunohistochemical techniques were used to achieve these goals. The results revealed that the size and composition of this gland are variable and are mostly related to the lipid content during the reproductive season. The results also documented, for the first time, the occurrence of mechanoreceptors associated with the surface of the glandular duct by detecting an S100 protein, indicating that an external stimulus activates secretion. Previous studies on other species have classified the gland using obsolete criteria; hence, we adopted a new classification of adenomeres in this study. Moreover, we investigated the gland secretion mechanism previously proposed. This study defines the implications of this gland in the reproduction of this species. Our preliminary interpretation of the function of the gular gland is that it is a cutaneous exocrine gland activated by mechanoreceptors involved in the reproductive behaviour of the Molossidae family.

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Not All Molossus are Created Equal: Genetic Variation in the Mastiff Bat Reveals Diversity Masked by Conservative Morphology

Cited by 32 publications

References 66 publications

Comparative phylogeography of mainland and insular species of Neotropical molossid bats (Molossus)

Comparative phylogeography of mainland and insular species of Neotropical molossid bats (Molossus)

Does evolution of echolocation calls and morphology in Molossus result from convergence or stasis?

Comparative study of the gular gland of three species of Molossidae bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from South America

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