Phylogenetic Relationships between Oviparous and Viviparous Populations of an Australian Lizard (Lerista bougainvillii,Scincidae)

John Fairbairn*, Richard Shine, Craig Moritz, Marianne Frommer

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Viviparity has evolved from oviparity in many vertebrate lineages, and species that contain both oviparous and viviparous populations offer the best opportunity for a detailed examination of the processes involved in this major life-history transition. However, although several such species have been reported, none have been the subject of detailed phylogenetic analyses. We examine such a case within the Australian scincid lizardLerista bougainvillii.Data were obtained by sequencing a 314-bp segment of mitochondrial cytochromebfrom 32 individuals from 17 populations ofL. bougainvilliiand two morphologically similar congeneric species (L. dorsalisandL. microtus). Sequences were aligned and analyzed using parsimony and distance methods. The resultant matriarchal phylogeny resolved the populations ofL. bougainvilliiinto three major groups: a population from NSW; a group predominantly from Eyre Peninsula; and a less well-defined group from the central part of the species range. The NSW and Eyre Peninsula groups are oviparous and are quite divergent from otherL. bougainvilliipopulations and from each other. The central group contains both viviparous and oviparous populations, and seems to represent a more recent radiation within the species. Our results indicate that viviparity has evolved at least twice within the genusLerista,because the viviparousL. microtusis not closely related to viviparous populations ofL. bougainvillii.The lack of phylogenetic separation of mtDNAs from viviparous and oviparous populations withinL. bougainvilliirelative to strong geographic structure within the latter indicates that populations with different reproductive modes are indeed conspecific.Lerista bougainvilliiis thus the first vertebrate species for which intraspecific bimodality in reproductive mode can be claimed with any certainty.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)95-103
Number of pages9
JournalMolecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
Volume10
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 1998
Externally publishedYes

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