Phylogeography of the genus Xenopus in southern Africa
نویسندگان
چکیده
Xenopus laevis (Daudin, 1802) has been the subject of numerous studies but is taxonomically poorly understood. Part of the Cytochrome b gene in mitochondrial DNA was sequenced from 50 individual Xenopus from three currently recognised species, taken from 28 localities in southern Africa, and from an outgroup of two West African X. epitropicalis. Phylogenetic analyses of these data reveal well-supported tree structure, demonstrating three clades within what is currently regarded as X. laevis: X. l. laevis from the Cape, X. l. petersii, and X. l. laevis from further north. This evidence agrees with other studies (on morphology, call and parasite data) which suggest that what is currently regarded as X. laevis encompasses more than one species. Workers using Xenopus collected away from the Cape of South Africa are not safe in assuming that they are using X. laevis.
منابع مشابه
Phylogeography of a Morphologically Cryptic Golden Mole Assemblage from South-Eastern Africa
The Greater Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany (GMPA) region of southern Africa was recently designated as a centre of vertebrate endemism. The phylogeography of the vertebrate taxa occupying this region may provide insights into the evolution of faunal endemism in south-eastern Africa. Here we investigate the phylogeographic patterns of an understudied small mammal species assemblage (Amblysomus) end...
متن کاملXenopus
Who or what is Xenopus? Xenopus (literally ‘strange foot’) is a genus of aquatic frogs that are native to southern Africa. These frogs are remarkably tolerant to starvation, disease, and other insults, allowing the genus to span more than 45 degrees of latitude in Sub-Saharan Africa. This formidable constitution also makes them very easy to keep in captivity, and thus Xenopus frogs are very wid...
متن کاملThe Origin of Varanus: When Fossils, Morphology, and Molecules Alone Are Never Enough
One of the many interesting questions in evolutionary studies of varanid lizards is the origin of the genus Varanus. The fossil record indicates the earliest emergence of this genus on Gondwana, although the remains of early varanid lizards have been discovered in Laurasia. The relationships among extant Varanus can generally be inferred using molecular phylogenetic techniques, although several...
متن کاملPhylogeographic Patterns in Africa and High Resolution Delineation of Genetic Clades in the Lion (Panthera leo)
Comparative phylogeography of African savannah mammals shows a congruent pattern in which populations in West/Central Africa are distinct from populations in East/Southern Africa. However, for the lion, all African populations are currently classified as a single subspecies (Panthera leo leo), while the only remaining population in Asia is considered to be distinct (Panthera leo persica). This ...
متن کاملExpansive reed populations—alien invasion or disturbed wetlands?
The tall-statured grasses in the genus Phragmites are dominant vegetation in wetlands worldwide and thus play a vital role in ecosystem functioning. As a result, Phragmites spp. are some of the most widely studied plants; particularly in areas where changes to their abundances have occurred, most notably in Europe and North America. In southern Africa a pattern of reed expansion has occurred in...
متن کامل