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Citation for Study 11878

About Citation title: "Evolution in Niche and Morphology in Mexican Land Snails".
About Study name: "Evolution in Niche and Morphology in Mexican Land Snails".
About This study is part of submission 11878 (Status: Published).

Citation

Perez K.E., & Cunningham C. 2011. Evolution in Niche and Morphology in Mexican Land Snails. Evolution, .

Authors

  • Perez K.E. (submitter) Phone 2052392871
  • Cunningham C.

Abstract

Abstract We are interested in the changes that occurred in niche and morphology over several million years in the land snail Praticolella. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA confirms that Praticolella s.s. is a monophyletic group of at least 12 genealogical species in three distinct climatic zones in Texas and Mexico. Population-level sampling clarified taxonomic confusion, revealing 7 species in the Tamaulipan region, 1 in the arid Edwards Plateau of Texas, and 4 confined to the hot and humid Mexican Gulf Coast. Whether by dispersal or vicariance, these lineages represent replicated comparisons between different climatic regimes ? presenting an excellent opportunity to study evolutionary change in morphology and niche conditions. A comparative approach to morphological changes in shell shape suggests that species in this lineage show a pattern of morphological adaptation to two aspects of habitat, rainfall and temperature. Ecological niche modeling was possible for 5 species, with the remaining 7 being short-range endemics. In the only unambiguous dispersal event ? the ecological niche of the dispersing lineage expanded beyond its sister lineage. Of the three remaining widespread species, two have niche models that span all three geographic regions, while the third shows a sharply contracted range confined to the Gulf Coast. In general, we found no support for a pattern of niche conservatism. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, most speciation and morphological change seems to have occurred in lineages remaining within the Tamaulipan region, not the dispersal region.

Keywords

land snails, Praticolella, morphometrics, niche modeling, niche evolution, narrow range endemics, convergent morphology, dispersal.

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  • Canonical resource URI: http://purl.org/phylo/treebase/phylows/study/TB2:S11878
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