Climatic suitability, isolation by distance and river resistance explain genetic variation in a Brazilian whiptail lizard.

ABSTRACT: Spatial patterns of genetic variation can help understand how environmental factors either permit or restrict gene flow and create opportunities for regional adaptations. Organisms from harsh environments such as the Brazilian semiarid Caatinga biome may reveal how severe climate conditions may affect patterns of genetic variation. Herein we combine information from mitochondrial DNA with physical and environmental features to study the association between different aspects of the Caatinga landscape and spatial genetic variation in the whiptail lizard Ameivula ocellifera. We investigated which of the climatic, environmental, geographical and/or historical components best predict: (1) the spatial distribution of genetic diversity, and (2) the genetic differentiation among populations. We fo

SUBMITTER: Oliveira EF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5836570 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature