Molecular evolutionary rates are not correlated with temperature and latitude in Squamata: an exception to the metabolic theory of ecology?

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Research Article

Jonathan Romiguier¹  Jonathan Rolland²  Nicolas Salamin²  Oriane Loiseau² 

[1] Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland;Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland;Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland;

关键词: Diversity;    Reptiles;    Mutation rate;    Snakes;    Lizards;    Speciation rate;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12862-016-0666-4

 received in 2016-02-04, accepted in 2016-04-23,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe metabolic theory of ecology stipulates that molecular evolutionary rates should correlate with temperature and latitude in ectothermic organisms. Previous studies have shown that most groups of vertebrates, such as amphibians, turtles and even endothermic mammals, have higher molecular evolutionary rates in regions where temperature is high. However, the association between molecular evolutionary rates and temperature or latitude has never been tested in Squamata.ResultsWe used a large dataset including the spatial distributions and environmental variables for 1,651 species of Squamata and compared the contrast of the rates of molecular evolution with the contrast of temperature and latitude between sister species. Using major axis regressions and a new algorithm to choose independent sister species pairs, we found that temperature and absolute latitude were not associated with molecular evolutionary rates.ConclusionsThis absence of association in such a diverse ectothermic group questions the mechanisms explaining current pattern of species diversity in Squamata and challenges the presupposed universality of the metabolic theory of ecology.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Rolland et al. 2016