Using ancient DNA to understand the evolution and biogeography of the Caribbean land mammal fauna
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| Title: | Using ancient DNA to understand the evolution and biogeography of the Caribbean land mammal fauna |
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| Authors: | Woods, Roseina |
| Summary: | The insular Caribbean is a prefect arena for the study of evolution and biogeography. One exceptional feature of the Caribbean islands is the colonisation of this archipelago by terrestrial mammal fauna. Historic changes in climate, colonisation of new species and the arrival of humans has greatly affected the endemic fauna of the Caribbean. Due to the extinction of much of the Late Quaternary Caribbean mammal fauna during the Holocene, many aspects of taxonomy in this group remains unresolved, preventing a complete study of evolutionary questions surrounding speciation, colonisation and extinction and critically, hindering the conservation of endangered species. This study has incorporated three groups of endemic Caribbean mammals: eulipotyphlan insectivores, rodents and primates, in order to investigate patterns in colonisation and evolutionary histories. Advanced techniques in extraction and sequencing of degraded or ancient DNA were utilised as part of this study in order to successfully able to extract and sequence DNA from museum and zooarchaeological specimens, despite the high degradation indicative of DNA from tropical regions. This study has found that whilst the Caribbean is home to ancient relic species, the islands are also hotspots for the generation of new species, as shown by the recent intra-island speciation of Hispaniolan Nesophontes species. This study has also been able to demonstrate patterns of insular evolution including accelerated evolution and the generation of unusual morphology, both exhibited by the Jamaican primate Xenothrix and extinct caviomorph rodents. Colonisation histories differ between groups, but both rodent and primate taxa looked at as part of this study colonised the Caribbean via over water dispersal during the mid-late Miocene, a period of low global sea level, when a riverine connection may have facilitated faunal movement between the Caribbean and South America. Previous taxonomy in many of the species looked as part of this study were based on morphology and needs to be re-assessed in light of the results of this molecular analysis. This is particularly important for the living Cuban hutia in the genera Capromys and Mesocapromys where the conservation of declining populations is vital for the continued survival of these unqiue taxa. |
| URL: | https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.855130 |
| Database: | OpenDissertations |
| Abstract: | The insular Caribbean is a prefect arena for the study of evolution and biogeography. One exceptional feature of the Caribbean islands is the colonisation of this archipelago by terrestrial mammal fauna. Historic changes in climate, colonisation of new species and the arrival of humans has greatly affected the endemic fauna of the Caribbean. Due to the extinction of much of the Late Quaternary Caribbean mammal fauna during the Holocene, many aspects of taxonomy in this group remains unresolved, preventing a complete study of evolutionary questions surrounding speciation, colonisation and extinction and critically, hindering the conservation of endangered species. This study has incorporated three groups of endemic Caribbean mammals: eulipotyphlan insectivores, rodents and primates, in order to investigate patterns in colonisation and evolutionary histories. Advanced techniques in extraction and sequencing of degraded or ancient DNA were utilised as part of this study in order to successfully able to extract and sequence DNA from museum and zooarchaeological specimens, despite the high degradation indicative of DNA from tropical regions. This study has found that whilst the Caribbean is home to ancient relic species, the islands are also hotspots for the generation of new species, as shown by the recent intra-island speciation of Hispaniolan Nesophontes species. This study has also been able to demonstrate patterns of insular evolution including accelerated evolution and the generation of unusual morphology, both exhibited by the Jamaican primate Xenothrix and extinct caviomorph rodents. Colonisation histories differ between groups, but both rodent and primate taxa looked at as part of this study colonised the Caribbean via over water dispersal during the mid-late Miocene, a period of low global sea level, when a riverine connection may have facilitated faunal movement between the Caribbean and South America. Previous taxonomy in many of the species looked as part of this study were based on morphology and needs to be re-assessed in light of the results of this molecular analysis. This is particularly important for the living Cuban hutia in the genera Capromys and Mesocapromys where the conservation of declining populations is vital for the continued survival of these unqiue taxa. |
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