Nigeria is an Afrotropical region with considerable ecological heterogeneity and levels of biotic endemism.Among its vertebrate fauna,reptiles have broad distributions,thus,they constitute a compelling system for asse...Nigeria is an Afrotropical region with considerable ecological heterogeneity and levels of biotic endemism.Among its vertebrate fauna,reptiles have broad distributions,thus,they constitute a compelling system for assessing the impact of ecological variation and geographic isolation on species diversification.The red-headed rock agama,Agama agama,lives in a wide range of habitats and,thus,it may show genetic structuring and diversification.Herein,we tested the hypothesis that ecology affects its genetic structure and population divergence.Bayesian inference phylogenetic analysis of a mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA)gene recovered four well-supported matrilines with strong evidence of genetic structuring consistent with eco-geographic regions.Genetic differences among populations based on the mtDNA also correlated with geographic distance. The ecologicalniche model for the matrilines had a good fit and robust performance. Population divergence alongthe environmental axes was associated with climatic conditions, and temperature ranked highestamong all environmental variables for forest specialists, while precipitation ranked highest for theforest/derived savanna, and savanna specialists. Our results cannot reject the hypothesis that nicheconservatism promotes geographic isolation of the western populations of Nigerian A. agama.Thus, ecological gradients and geographic isolation impact the genetic structure and population divergenceof the lizards. This species might be facing threats due to recent habitat fragmentation,especially in western Nigeria. Conservation actions appear necessary.展开更多
The sole voucher of Papenfuss＇ Rock Agama, Laudakia papenfussi （CIB 775001）, an adult male, was collected from Zanda, Tibet, China on July 1, 1976 and described in 1998. No information on this species appeared sinc...The sole voucher of Papenfuss＇ Rock Agama, Laudakia papenfussi （CIB 775001）, an adult male, was collected from Zanda, Tibet, China on July 1, 1976 and described in 1998. No information on this species appeared since its description. In September 2014, we collected one female and six males at the type locality. Based on the original description and these newly collected specimens, we re-describe this species. Principal components analysis based on 33 morphological characteristics clearly diagnose L. papenfussi from closely related species. One way ANOVA test shows significant differences among four Tibetan rock agamas for 9 characters at 95% significant level, and 8 characters at 99% significant level. Molecular analyses recover three main clades in Laudakia. The four Tibetan rock agamas place into two geographical groups： Yarlung Zangbo group （L. sacra and L. wui） and the Himalayan group （L. tuberculata and L. papenfussi）.展开更多
To understand the effects of sand grain size on habitat selection, we conducted a field study on the steppe toad-headed lizard in Hunshandake Desert northern China. Methods of mark-recapture and transect survey were u...To understand the effects of sand grain size on habitat selection, we conducted a field study on the steppe toad-headed lizard in Hunshandake Desert northern China. Methods of mark-recapture and transect survey were used to investigate the density of steppe toad-headed lizards and the environmental variables. The comparison on lizard densities among the habitats with different environmental factors revealed that： 1） population density of the steppe toad-headed lizard differed significantly among the habitats with different sand grain size indexes（SGSIs, representing roughness of sand substrate）： the highest lizard density was found in the group with an SGSI of 〉 0.30, whereas the lowest density was found in the group with an SGSI of 0–0.15; and 2） vegetation cover, soil moisture, invertebrate diversity index, and abundance had no significant effects on the lizard density. These results implied that the sand grain size was the most important determinant of habitat selection for steppe toad-headed lizards in Hunshandake Desert. Steppe toad-headed lizards could avoid structural habitats that have negative effects on their maximal sprinting capabilities. Considering the changing sand grain size in the development phase of sand dunes, the sand lizard could be used as an indicator of the process of desertification.展开更多
新疆鬣蜥Aga ina stoliczkana (Blanford)主要分布在塔里木盆地的边缘地区,1988年4—7月、9—10月,笔者在阿克苏农一师五团对其进行了野外定点观察,逐月共解剖标本80条,89年4月在室内解剖32条,合计112条(雌性58条、雄性54条),记录精巢...新疆鬣蜥Aga ina stoliczkana (Blanford)主要分布在塔里木盆地的边缘地区,1988年4—7月、9—10月,笔者在阿克苏农一师五团对其进行了野外定点观察,逐月共解剖标本80条,89年4月在室内解剖32条,合计112条(雌性58条、雄性54条),记录精巢、卵巢发育情况,将固定的精巢,做成石蜡切片,并结合人工饲养观察,对新疆鬣蜥繁殖进行了研究。展开更多
文摘Nigeria is an Afrotropical region with considerable ecological heterogeneity and levels of biotic endemism.Among its vertebrate fauna,reptiles have broad distributions,thus,they constitute a compelling system for assessing the impact of ecological variation and geographic isolation on species diversification.The red-headed rock agama,Agama agama,lives in a wide range of habitats and,thus,it may show genetic structuring and diversification.Herein,we tested the hypothesis that ecology affects its genetic structure and population divergence.Bayesian inference phylogenetic analysis of a mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA)gene recovered four well-supported matrilines with strong evidence of genetic structuring consistent with eco-geographic regions.Genetic differences among populations based on the mtDNA also correlated with geographic distance. The ecologicalniche model for the matrilines had a good fit and robust performance. Population divergence alongthe environmental axes was associated with climatic conditions, and temperature ranked highestamong all environmental variables for forest specialists, while precipitation ranked highest for theforest/derived savanna, and savanna specialists. Our results cannot reject the hypothesis that nicheconservatism promotes geographic isolation of the western populations of Nigerian A. agama.Thus, ecological gradients and geographic isolation impact the genetic structure and population divergenceof the lizards. This species might be facing threats due to recent habitat fragmentation,especially in western Nigeria. Conservation actions appear necessary.
基金supported by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China(2014FY210200,2011FY120200)State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution,Kunming Institute of Zoology,CAS(GREKF13-10)+1 种基金the Animal Branch of the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species of Chinese Academy of Sciences(the Large Research Infrastructure Funding)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC 31060280)
文摘The sole voucher of Papenfuss＇ Rock Agama, Laudakia papenfussi （CIB 775001）, an adult male, was collected from Zanda, Tibet, China on July 1, 1976 and described in 1998. No information on this species appeared since its description. In September 2014, we collected one female and six males at the type locality. Based on the original description and these newly collected specimens, we re-describe this species. Principal components analysis based on 33 morphological characteristics clearly diagnose L. papenfussi from closely related species. One way ANOVA test shows significant differences among four Tibetan rock agamas for 9 characters at 95% significant level, and 8 characters at 99% significant level. Molecular analyses recover three main clades in Laudakia. The four Tibetan rock agamas place into two geographical groups： Yarlung Zangbo group （L. sacra and L. wui） and the Himalayan group （L. tuberculata and L. papenfussi）.
基金financial support of the Key Basic Science and Technology Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology, China (2013FY110300)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31572260)the Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KSCX2-EW-J-2)
文摘To understand the effects of sand grain size on habitat selection, we conducted a field study on the steppe toad-headed lizard in Hunshandake Desert northern China. Methods of mark-recapture and transect survey were used to investigate the density of steppe toad-headed lizards and the environmental variables. The comparison on lizard densities among the habitats with different environmental factors revealed that： 1） population density of the steppe toad-headed lizard differed significantly among the habitats with different sand grain size indexes（SGSIs, representing roughness of sand substrate）： the highest lizard density was found in the group with an SGSI of 〉 0.30, whereas the lowest density was found in the group with an SGSI of 0–0.15; and 2） vegetation cover, soil moisture, invertebrate diversity index, and abundance had no significant effects on the lizard density. These results implied that the sand grain size was the most important determinant of habitat selection for steppe toad-headed lizards in Hunshandake Desert. Steppe toad-headed lizards could avoid structural habitats that have negative effects on their maximal sprinting capabilities. Considering the changing sand grain size in the development phase of sand dunes, the sand lizard could be used as an indicator of the process of desertification.
文摘新疆鬣蜥Aga ina stoliczkana (Blanford)主要分布在塔里木盆地的边缘地区,1988年4—7月、9—10月,笔者在阿克苏农一师五团对其进行了野外定点观察,逐月共解剖标本80条,89年4月在室内解剖32条,合计112条(雌性58条、雄性54条),记录精巢、卵巢发育情况,将固定的精巢,做成石蜡切片,并结合人工饲养观察,对新疆鬣蜥繁殖进行了研究。
