Updating the phylogeography of four-toed salamanders with additional genetic sampling from the Appalachian mountains.
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Todd W. Pierson
Department
CSM - Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Abstract
The four-toed salamander is found throughout a wide range in North America, which provides different environmental and geographic challenges that may structure patterns of phylogeographic diversification over time. A previous study used mitochondrial DNA sequence data to propose phylogenetic relationships between clades, finding especially high levels of haplotype diversity in the southern Appalachians. In this current study, we sought to better understand the phylogeographic relationships of the four-toed salamander within the Appalachians—including new samples collected since the completion of the previous study . We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and existing primers to amplify mitochondrial DNA from samples, conducted Sanger sequencing, and then aligned these sequence data with those from the previous study. We then used the data to build a phylogenetic tree and place our samples within the existing phylogenetic framework. We hope that our new data—along with larger-scale genomic data from the same samples—will help us gain a better understanding of the genetic diversity and distribution of this salamander, aiding conservation efforts. We also hope that it highlights the importance of the Appalachians as a biodiversity hotspot and in the biogeographic history of amphibians.
Disciplines
Evolution | Genetics | Genomics | Integrative Biology | Population Biology
Updating the phylogeography of four-toed salamanders with additional genetic sampling from the Appalachian mountains.
The four-toed salamander is found throughout a wide range in North America, which provides different environmental and geographic challenges that may structure patterns of phylogeographic diversification over time. A previous study used mitochondrial DNA sequence data to propose phylogenetic relationships between clades, finding especially high levels of haplotype diversity in the southern Appalachians. In this current study, we sought to better understand the phylogeographic relationships of the four-toed salamander within the Appalachians—including new samples collected since the completion of the previous study . We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and existing primers to amplify mitochondrial DNA from samples, conducted Sanger sequencing, and then aligned these sequence data with those from the previous study. We then used the data to build a phylogenetic tree and place our samples within the existing phylogenetic framework. We hope that our new data—along with larger-scale genomic data from the same samples—will help us gain a better understanding of the genetic diversity and distribution of this salamander, aiding conservation efforts. We also hope that it highlights the importance of the Appalachians as a biodiversity hotspot and in the biogeographic history of amphibians.