Delimiting genetic units in Neotropical toads under incomplete lineage sorting and hybridization.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Delimiting genetic units is useful to enhance taxonomic discovery and is often the first step toward understanding evolutionary mechanisms generating diversification. The six species within the Rhinella crucifer group of toads were defined under morphological criteria alone. Previous data suggest limited correspondence of these species to mitochondrial lineages, and morphological intergradation at transitions between forms suggests hybridization. Here we extensively sampled populations throughout the geographic distribution of the group and analyzed mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data to delimit genetic units using tree-based and allele frequency-based approaches.

Results

These approaches yielded complementary results, with allele frequency-based methods perfo

SUBMITTER: Thome MT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3574056 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature