Hidden in the sand: Phylogenomics unravel an unexpected evolutionary history for the desert-adapted vipers of the genus Cerastes
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11310%2F24%3A10483088" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11310/24:10483088 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=7UyuPoCZC7" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=7UyuPoCZC7</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107979" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107979</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Hidden in the sand: Phylogenomics unravel an unexpected evolutionary history for the desert-adapted vipers of the genus Cerastes
Original language description
The desert vipers of the genus Cerastes are a small clade of medically important venomous snakes within the family Viperidae. According to published morphological and molecular studies, the group is comprised by four species: two morphologically similar and phylogenetically sister taxa, the African horned viper (Cerastes cerastes) and the Arabian horned viper (Cerastes gasperettii); a more distantly related species, the Saharan sand viper (Cerastes vipera), and the enigmatic Bo center dot hme's sand viper (Cerastes boehmei), only known from a single specimen in captivity allegedly captured in Central Tunisia. In this study, we sequenced one mitochondrial marker (COI) as well as genome-wide data (ddRAD sequencing) from 28 and 41 samples, respectively, covering the entire distribution range of the genus to explore the population genomics, phylogenomic relationships and introgression patterns within the genus Cerastes. Additionally, and to provide insights into the mode of diversification of the group, we carried out niche overlap analyses considering climatic and habitat variables. Both nuclear phylogenomic reconstructions and population structure analyses have unveiled an unexpected evolutionary history for the genus Cerastes, which sharply contradicts the morphological similarities and previously published mitochondrial approaches. Cerastes cerastes and C. vipera are recovered as sister taxa whilst C. gasperettii is a sister taxon to the clade formed by these two species. We found a relatively high niche overlap (OI > 0.7) in both climatic and habitat variables between C. cerastes and C. vipera, contradicting a potential scenario of sympatric speciation. These results are in line with the introgression found between the northwestern African populations of C. cerastes and C. vipera. Finally, our genomic data confirms the existence of a lineage of C. cerastes in Arabia. All these results highlight the importance of genome-wide data over few genetic markers to study the evolutionary history of species.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
10613 - Zoology
Result continuities
Project
<a href="/en/project/GA22-12757S" target="_blank" >GA22-12757S: Genomic highways in extreme environments: historical and present patterns of population connectivity of desert reptiles</a><br>
Continuities
P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)
Others
Publication year
2024
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
ISSN
1055-7903
e-ISSN
1095-9513
Volume of the periodical
191
Issue of the periodical within the volume
February
Country of publishing house
US - UNITED STATES
Number of pages
13
Pages from-to
107979
UT code for WoS article
001135538900001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85179395689