Phylogeography and natural selection in the Tenerife gecko Tarentola delalandii: testing historical and adaptive hypotheses

Abstract

Combining phylogeographic and matrix correspondence approaches in the analysis of geographical variation provides a fruitful approach to inferring the causes of molecular and morphological evolution within species. Here we present a study on the gecko Tarentola delalandii on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, which provides an outstanding model of an exceptionally high degree of phylogeographic differentiation in magnitude and pattern on a small spatial scale. We reconstruct the population history of T. delalandii using phylogeographic information, matrix correspondence tests and estimates of divergence times in conjunction with geological data. It appears that populations differentiated on three precursor islands and secondary contact followed the junction of these islands. The cytochrome b sequence appears to be evolving at least at approximately 1% per million years in this species. Matrix correspondence tests indicate that morphological character systems may reflect ecological selection regimes (colour pattern), history (body dimensions) or both (scalation). The results imply that natural selection can override a historical legacy, but also underline the potential relevance of molecular phylogenetic data for the interpretation of geographical variation in morphology.

Genetic structure of Micromeria (Lamiaceae) in Tenerife, the imprint of geological history and hybridization on within‐island diversification

“…2015), and also in studies of mitochondrial haplotype diversity in several animal groups (e.g., Gübitz et al. 2000; Brown et al. 2006).…”

“…It had been suggested that this difference stems from habitat discontinuities between and within paleo‐islands that causes strong divergent selection and impedes migration (Gübitz et al. 2000; Moya et al. 2004).…”

“…An example of how selection favors certain genotypes in dependence of the ecological zone is the gecko Tarentola delallandii (Gübitz et al. 2000). Despite being the same species, three highly distinct mitochondrial haplotypes originated from the three paleo‐islands.…”

“…Examples are mainly from animals, where haplotype diversity seems correlated with the paleo‐islands with high haplotype divergence between Teno and Anaga (Gübitz et al. 2000; Brown et al. 2006; Macías‐Hernández et al.…”

“…For example, in the case of Gallotia lizards and Tarentola geckos, this is supported by different color patterns and other traits (Gübitz et al. 2000; Brown et al. 2006).…”