Diversification dynamics in Caribbean rain frogs (Eleutherodactylus) are uncoupled from the anuran community and consistent with adaptive radiation

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, vol. 290, pp. 20222171

Abstract

Adaptive radiation is proposed to play a key role in generating differences in species richness among lineages and geographical regions. Due to the importance of ecological divergence in adaptive radiation, species richness is predicted to be influenced by equilibrium diversity dynamics, although the concept continues to generate much debate. An additional important question is whether radiating clades have intrinsic biological characteristics that make them particularly prone to diversify. We tackle these questions by analysing (i) the temporal patterns of diversification of CaribbeanEleutherodactylusfrogs, and (ii) assembly of the complete native anuran community of the Caribbean archipelago (197 species), testing for the presence of equilibrium dynamics and whether diversification patterns ofEleutherodactylusdiffer from those of the rest of the Caribbean anurans. Diversification rates follow the predicted pattern of rapid diversification early in the radiation which gradually decreases towards the present.Eleutherodactylusdiversification is significantly faster than that of the Caribbean anuran community, and although equilibrium dynamics influence richness of all Caribbean anurans,Eleutherodactylusshows higher carrying capacity. Our results indicate that ecological opportunityper seis not sufficient for adaptive radiation and that diverse lineages present intrinsic characteristics that enable them to make the most of available opportunity.

Authors 6

1. Dante Jiménez‐Ortega

   Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

   Affiliation as printed

   Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, México

   Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, México

2. Luís Valente Aachen Naturalis Biodiversity Center

   Naturalis Biodiversity Center · University of Groningen

   Affiliation as printed

   Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

   Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

3. Álvaro Dugo‐Cota

   Estación Biológica de Doñana

   Affiliation as printed

   Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville 41092, Spain

4. Daniel L. Rabosky

   University of Michigan

   Affiliation as printed

   Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

5. Carles Vilà

   Estación Biológica de Doñana

   Affiliation as printed

   Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville 41092, Spain

6. Alejandro González‐Voyer corresponding

   Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

   Affiliation as printed

   Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, México