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Title: Hybridization could be a common phenomenon within the highly diverse lizard genus Liolaemus
Abstract

Hybridization is likely to occur more often between closely related taxa that have had insufficient time to diverge to the point of reproductive incompatibility; hybridization between deeply divergent lineages is rare. In squamate reptiles, hybridization has been proposed as a possible explanation for the extensive paraphyly observed in mitochondrial gene trees in several species complexes of the South American lizard genusLiolaemus. One of the best‐documented cases is within theL. boulengeriandL. rothicomplexes, which diverged ~5.5 million years ago. Here, we describe a comprehensive study for approaching the hybridization hypothesis between these lizard species complexes. We explored the level of gene tree discordance using the novel ‘extra lineage contribution’ statistics (XLC, presented in this study) that quantifies the level of gene tree discordance contribution per individual within a species. We included molecular data (12 nuclear and two mitochondrial genes) from 127 individuals, and results of a coalescent model‐based analysis show that the most likely explanation for the gene tree‐species tree discordance is interspecific hybridization. Our best‐supported hypothesis suggests current and past hybridization betweenL. rothi(rothicomplex) andL. tehuelche(boulengericomplex), and independently betweenL. rothiandL. boulengeriandL. telsen(boulengericomplex). The hybrid descendants are characterized by intermediate phenotypes between the parental species, but are more similar toL. rothiin body size. We discuss the possible role of hybridization inLiolaemusevolution.

 
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NSF-PAR ID:
10056765
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
Oxford University Press
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Volume:
31
Issue:
6
ISSN:
1010-061X
Format(s):
Medium: X Size: p. 893-903
Size(s):
["p. 893-903"]
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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