Phylogeny and biogeography of the African Bathyergidae: a review of patterns and processes
Background We review genealogical relationships, biogeographic patterns and broad historical drivers of speciation within the Bathyergidae, a group of endemic African rodents, as well as identify key taxa which need further research. Methods We sourced comparable cytochrome b sequence data (comparab...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2019-10-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/7730.pdf |
| _version_ | 1827606221803225088 |
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| author | Jacobus H. Visser Nigel C. Bennett Bettine Jansen van Vuuren |
| author_facet | Jacobus H. Visser Nigel C. Bennett Bettine Jansen van Vuuren |
| author_sort | Jacobus H. Visser |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background We review genealogical relationships, biogeographic patterns and broad historical drivers of speciation within the Bathyergidae, a group of endemic African rodents, as well as identify key taxa which need further research. Methods We sourced comparable cytochrome b sequence data (comparable data available for all members for the Family) and geographic information for all six genera of the African subterranean rodent. This information was combined into the most comprehensive and geographically representative evolutionary study for the Bathyergidae to date. Results Species richness within the Bathyergidae appears to be underestimated, with undescribed taxa in five of the six genera. Biogeographic patterns suggest large historical distributions, which were repeatedly fragmented by major landscape changes (especially rifting, uplift and drainage evolution) since the Miocene. Aside from vicariant events, other factors (ecological specialization, population-level responses and climatic change) may have been instrumental in driving divergences in the Bathyergidae. As such, adaptive differences may exist among both populations and species across their discrete ranges, driving independent evolutionary trajectories among taxa. In addition, highly fragmented distributions of divergent (and often relict) lineages indicates the possibility of narrow endemics restricted to diminishing suitable habitats. From this, it is clear that a systematic revision of the Bathyergidae is necessary; such a revision should include comprehensive sampling of all putative taxa, the addition of genomic information to assess adaptive differences, as well as ecological information. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:35:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-61de5e9ae77c41a280f8be51f584217b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:35:08Z |
| publishDate | 2019-10-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-61de5e9ae77c41a280f8be51f584217b2023-12-03T10:59:59ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592019-10-017e773010.7717/peerj.7730Phylogeny and biogeography of the African Bathyergidae: a review of patterns and processesJacobus H. Visser0Nigel C. Bennett1Bettine Jansen van Vuuren2Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South AfricaDepartment of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng Province, South AfricaCentre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South AfricaBackground We review genealogical relationships, biogeographic patterns and broad historical drivers of speciation within the Bathyergidae, a group of endemic African rodents, as well as identify key taxa which need further research. Methods We sourced comparable cytochrome b sequence data (comparable data available for all members for the Family) and geographic information for all six genera of the African subterranean rodent. This information was combined into the most comprehensive and geographically representative evolutionary study for the Bathyergidae to date. Results Species richness within the Bathyergidae appears to be underestimated, with undescribed taxa in five of the six genera. Biogeographic patterns suggest large historical distributions, which were repeatedly fragmented by major landscape changes (especially rifting, uplift and drainage evolution) since the Miocene. Aside from vicariant events, other factors (ecological specialization, population-level responses and climatic change) may have been instrumental in driving divergences in the Bathyergidae. As such, adaptive differences may exist among both populations and species across their discrete ranges, driving independent evolutionary trajectories among taxa. In addition, highly fragmented distributions of divergent (and often relict) lineages indicates the possibility of narrow endemics restricted to diminishing suitable habitats. From this, it is clear that a systematic revision of the Bathyergidae is necessary; such a revision should include comprehensive sampling of all putative taxa, the addition of genomic information to assess adaptive differences, as well as ecological information.https://peerj.com/articles/7730.pdfAfrican mole-ratsBathyergidaeBiogeographyExtra-limitalSpecies richnessPhylogeography |
| spellingShingle | Jacobus H. Visser Nigel C. Bennett Bettine Jansen van Vuuren Phylogeny and biogeography of the African Bathyergidae: a review of patterns and processes PeerJ African mole-rats Bathyergidae Biogeography Extra-limital Species richness Phylogeography |
| title | Phylogeny and biogeography of the African Bathyergidae: a review of patterns and processes |
| title_full | Phylogeny and biogeography of the African Bathyergidae: a review of patterns and processes |
| title_fullStr | Phylogeny and biogeography of the African Bathyergidae: a review of patterns and processes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Phylogeny and biogeography of the African Bathyergidae: a review of patterns and processes |
| title_short | Phylogeny and biogeography of the African Bathyergidae: a review of patterns and processes |
| title_sort | phylogeny and biogeography of the african bathyergidae a review of patterns and processes |
| topic | African mole-rats Bathyergidae Biogeography Extra-limital Species richness Phylogeography |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/7730.pdf |
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