Rates of population differentiation and speciation are decoupled in sea snakes.

ABSTRACT: Comparative phylogeography can inform many macroevolutionary questions, such as whether species diversification is limited by rates of geographical population differentiation. We examined the link between population genetic structure and species diversification in the fully aquatic sea snakes (Hydrophiinae) by comparing mitochondrial phylogeography across northern Australia in 16 species from two closely related clades that show contrasting diversification dynamics. Contrary to expectations from theory and several empirical studies, our results show that, at the geographical scale studied here, rates of population differentiation and speciation are not positively linked in sea snakes. The eight species sampled from the rapidly speciating Hydrophis clade have weak population differen

SUBMITTER: Nitschke CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6227852 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature