Molecular phylogeny of the scincid lizards of New Caledonia and adjacent areas: evidence for a single origin of the endemic skinks of Tasmantis

We use approximately 1900bp of mitochondrial (ND2) and nuclear (c-mos and Rag-1) DNA sequence data to recover phylogenetic relationships among 58 species and 26 genera of Eugongylus group scincid lizards from New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island, New Zealand, Australia and New Guinea. Taxon sampling for New Caledonian forms was nearly complete. We find that the endemic skink genera occurring on New Caledonia, New Zealand and Lord Howe Island, which make up the Gondwanan continental block Tasmantis, form a monophyletic group. Within this group New Zealand and New Zealand+Lord Howe Island form monophyletic clades. These clades are nested within the radiation of skinks in New Caledonia. All of the New Caledonian genera are monophyletic, except Lioscincus. The Australian and New Guinean species form a largely unresolved polytomy with the Tasmantis clade. New Caledonian representatives of the more widespread genera Emoia and Cryptoblepharus are more closely related to the non-Tasmantis taxa than to the endemic New Caledonian genera. Using ND2 sequences and the calibration estimated for the agamid Laudakia, we estimate that the diversification of the Tasmantis lineage began at least 12.7 million years ago. However, using combined ND2 and c-mos data and the calibration estimated for pygopod lizards suggests the lineage is 35.4-40.74 million years old. Our results support the hypothesis that skinks colonized Tasmantis by over-water dispersal initially to New Caledonia, then to Lord Howe Island, and finally to New Zealand.     

Divergent introduction histories among invasive populations of the delicate skink ( Lampropholis delicata): has the importance of genetic admixture in the success of biological invasions been overemphasized?

Aim

Invasive species are predicted to experience a reduction in genetic diversity during the introduction process because of founder effects, yet they are able to successfully establish in new regions and outcompete the native biota. Admixture has been proposed as a potential solution to this genetic paradox. We adopted a phylogeographic approach to investigate the invasion history of the delicate skink ( Lampropholis delicata) in the Pacific region and test the hypothesis that admixture is important for the success of biological invasions.

Location

Eastern Australia and the Pacific region (Lord Howe Island, New Zealand, Hawaii).

Methods

We obtained mitochondrial DNA sequence data ( ND2, ND4) from across the native Australian range (238 samples, 120 populations) and 371 samples from the introduced range of L. delicata. Genetic distances and Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) were used to examine the level of genetic variation across the native and introduced ranges.

Results

Fourteen haplotypes were evident in the introduced range (1 in Hawaii, 7 in New Zealand, 7 in Lord Howe Island), with a shared haplotype present in both New Zealand and Lord Howe Island. Five source regions were identified (Brisbane, Tenterfield, Border Ranges, Yamba‐Coffs Harbour, Sydney) from across four distinct native‐range genetic lineages. The Hawaiian population stems from a single introduction from Brisbane, whereas one or more introductions from the Tenterfield region led to the New Zealand populations. Multiple introductions from across all five source regions have resulted in extreme admixture (up to 8.3% sequence divergence) within Lord Howe Island.

Main Conclusions

L. delicata introductions are capable of being successful both in the presence and absence of admixture. Contrary to the predictions of the sequential two‐step model, the presence of admixture was not related to the time since initial introduction. We suggest that the importance of admixture in determining the success of biological invasions has been overemphasized.

     

Process and pattern in the biogeography of New Zealand – a global microcosm?

Aim  To describe New Zealand's historical terrestrial biogeography and place this history in a wider Southern Hemisphere context.
Location  New Zealand.
Methods  The analysis is based primarily on literature on the distributions and relationships of New Zealand's terrestrial flora and fauna.
Results  New Zealand is shown to have a biota that has broad relationships, primarily around the cool Southern Hemisphere, as well as with New Caledonia to the north. There are hints of ancient Gondwanan taxa, although the long-argued predominance of taxa derived by vicariant processes, driven by plate tectonics and the fragmentation of Gondwana, is no longer accepted as a principal explanation of the biota's origins and relationships.
Main conclusions  Most of the terrestrial New Zealand flora and fauna has clearly arrived in New Zealand much more recently than the postulated separation of New Zealand from Gondwana, dated at c. 80 Ma. There is a view that New Zealand may have disappeared completely beneath the sea in the early Cenozoic, and acceptance of this would mean derivation of the entire biota by transoceanic dispersal. However, there are elements in the biota that seem to have broad distributions that date back to Gondwanan times, and also some that are thought unlikely to have been able to disperse to New Zealand across ocean gaps, especially freshwater organisms. Very strong connections to the biota of Australia, rather than to South America, are inconsistent with the timing of New Zealand's ancient and early separation from Gondwana and seem likely to have resulted from dispersal.     

The asteralean affinity of the Mauritian Roussea (Rousseaceae)

Roussea , a monotypic genus endemic to Mauritius, has for a long time been associated with Brexia (Celastraceae). Recently, it has been shown that Roussea is placed correctly in the mainly Australasian Asterales, but the sister group to Roussea has not been unequivocally identified. Cladistic analysis of the chloroplast genes ndhF and rbcL identifies the sister group to.Roussea as Carpodetaceae. Recognizing this relationship, the monotypic Rousseaceae is merged with Carpodetaceae into Rousseaceae s.l. comprising two subfamilies. This group is characterized by many-locular ovaries and similarities in the appearance of the petals. Rousseaceae s.l. exhibit a disjunct distribution in Mauritius, East Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea     

New Zealand's pteridophyte flora—Plants of ancient lineage but recent arrival?

A hypothesis is presented that most pteridophytes arrived in New Zealand relatively recently, by long-distance dispersal. The flora comprises 194 native species, of which 89 (46%) are endemic and 105 (54%) are widespread. Of the latter, 90% are shared with temperate Australasia, 53% with tropical regions, 14% with temperate southern Africa and 13% with the circum-Antarctic islands and South America. New Zealand has undergone such dramatic changes in location, land area, and topography since initial separation from Gondwana 85 Ma that it seems improbable that the 95 species shared with temperate Australasia could have remained conspecific throughout that time. Modern fossil and molecular evidence strongly suggest that many families of ferns had not even evolved prior to separation, and palynological evidence from New Zealand indicates that 78% of pteridophyte genera first appeared there only after separation from Gondwana. Present-day distributions in New Zealand suggest that ferns have greater dispersal potential than flowering plants, and that pteridophyte distributions are more heavily influenced by temperature, rainfall, and geothermal activity than by geological history. Most endemic pteridophyte species have a predominantly southern distribution pattern and are characteristic of cool, lowland to montane forest. Pteridophytes in the northern part of New Zealand show a lower level of endemism than elsewhere and tend to be widespread species that have arrived from temperate Australasian and tropical regions. There is also evidence that at least some pteridophytes have migrated from New Zealand to Australia. It is suggested that the hypothesis of long-distance dispersal of pteridophytes across the Tasman Sea could be tested by molecular techniques.     

Morphological and molecular concordance for the recognition of two species in the New ZealandPolystichum richardii (Hook.) J. Smith complex

The New Zealand fernPolystichum richardii is shown to comprise at least two evolutionary lineages. A narrow-scaled morphological form and a wide-scaled morphological form are recognised. Principal Component Analysis of a set of frond, soral and spore characters supports this morphological separation. Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) DNA fingerprinting shows that the two morphological forms are also genetically distinct. They are sympatric across a broad area of central New Zealand, and often grow together without apparent ecological separation at the local level. Both are known to form sterile hybrids withP. vestitum, suggesting that both morphological forms ofP. richardii are at least partially outcrossing. The morphological and genetic distinctiveness of these two morphological forms, combined with their sympatric distributions and their (at least partially) outcrossing mating systems, merits their recognition as separate species.     

Multiple colonizations of a remote oceanic archipelago by one species: how common is long‐distance dispersal?

Aim  It is well established that many groups of plants and animals have undergone long-distance dispersal, but the extent to which this continues beyond initial colonization is largely unknown. To provide further insight into the frequency of gene flow mediated by long-distance dispersal, we investigated the origins of the fern Asplenium hookerianum on the Chatham Islands, and present a review of the contribution of molecular data to elucidating the origins of this archipelago's biota.
Location  Chatham Islands and New Zealand. A. hookerianum is scarce on the Chatham Islands but common in New Zealand, some 800 km to the west.
Methods  We compared chloroplast trnL–trnF DNA sequence data from Chatham Islands' A. hookerianum with extensive phylogeographic data for this genetically variable species in mainland New Zealand.
Results  Our sequencing revealed the presence of two haplotypes in Chatham Islands' A. hookerianum . These haplotypes differed by four mutational events and were each more closely related to haplotypes found in New Zealand than to each other.
Main conclusions  Despite the rarity of A. hookerianum on the Chatham Islands, its populations there appear to derive from at least two long-distance dispersal events from New Zealand, these possibly originating from different areas. We suggest that long-distance transoceanic dispersal, and the gene flow it can mediate, may be more common than is generally appreciated.     

A new opiine (Hymenoptera,Braconidae) from Australia with discussion of Diachasma Foerster

A new species of Opiinae, Diachasma dentatum Shirley, Restuccia & Ly, is described from Australia. This species is similar to several other Australian opiines previously described or included in the genus Diachasma, but the mandibles are unusually broad, nearly exodont. Notable differences between Australian and Palaearctic Diachasma are discussed. Diachasma tasmaniae Fischer, 1995, originally described from Tasmania and New South Wales, is newly recorded from Victoria. Diachasma rufipes Szépligeti, 1905 is transferred to Notiopambolus, new combination.     

New Zealand phylogeography: evolution on a small continent

New Zealand has long been a conundrum to biogeographers, possessing as it does geophysical and biotic features characteristic of both an island and a continent. This schism is reflected in provocative debate among dispersalist, vicariance biogeographic and panbiogeographic schools. A strong history in biogeography has spawned many hypotheses, which have begun to be addressed by a flood of molecular analyses. The time is now ripe to synthesize these findings on a background of geological and ecological knowledge. It has become increasingly apparent that most of the biota of New Zealand has links with other southern lands (particularly Australia) that are much more recent than the breakup of Gondwana. A compilation of molecular phylogenetic analyses of ca 100 plant and animal groups reveals that only 10% of these are even plausibly of archaic origin dating to the vicariant splitting of Zealandia from Gondwana. Effects of lineage extinction and lack of good calibrations in many cases strongly suggest that the actual proportion is even lower, in keeping with extensive Oligocene inundation of Zealandia. A wide compilation of papers covering phylogeographic structuring of terrestrial, freshwater and marine species shows some patterns emerging. These include: east–west splits across the Southern Alps, east–west splits across North Island, north–south splits across South Island, star phylogenies of southern mountain isolates, spread from northern, central and southern areas of high endemism, and recent recolonization (postvolcanic and anthropogenic). Excepting the last of these, most of these patterns seem to date to late Pliocene, coinciding with the rapid uplift of the Southern Alps. The diversity of New Zealand geological processes (sinking, uplift, tilting, sea level change, erosion, volcanism, glaciation) has produced numerous patterns, making generalizations difficult. Many species maintain pre‐Pleistocene lineages, with phylogeographic structuring more similar to the Mediterranean region than northern Europe. This structure reflects the fact that glaciation was far from ubiquitous, despite the topography. Intriguingly, then, origins of the flora and fauna are island‐like, whereas phylogeographic structure often reflects continental geological processes.