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Lusitania revisited: a phylogeographic analysis of the natterjack toad Bufo calamita across its entire biogeographical range

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 00:53 authored by Graham Rowe, D James Harris, Trevor J C Beebee
Attempts to understand the current distributions of plants and animals require both historical and ecological information. Phylogeography has proved highly effective in elucidating historical events such as postglacial colonisations in north temperate zones. However, interesting questions still await resolution. Lusitanian distributions of fauna and flora in western Europe, for example, have puzzled biogeographers for more than 150 years. Lusitanian species have highly disjunct distributions in Ireland and in Iberia, often with few or no other populations inbetween. Despite much debate, no agreed explanation for Lusitanian distributions has yet emerged. We investigated the phylogeographic structure of one Lusitanian species, the natterjack toad Bufo calamita, using mitochondrial DNA control region sequences and allelic variation at eight microsatellite loci. Our results show that this amphibian must have survived in north European refugia, as well as in Iberia, during and since the last (Weichselian) glacial maximum around 20,000 years before present (BP). Subsequent local recolonisation after the Younger Dryas cooling around 11,000 years BP best explains the Lusitanian aspect of natterjack toad distribution.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution

ISSN

1055-7903

Issue

2

Volume

39

Page range

335-346

Department affiliated with

  • Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-02-06

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