Environmental temperatures shape thermal physiology as well as diversification and genome-wide substitution rates in lizards

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11943-x
• Publication Date: 2019-09-09T10:03:02Z
• Authors: Joan Garcia-Porta; Iker Irisarri; Martin Kirchner; Ariel Rodríguez; Sebastian Kirchhof; Jason L. Brown; Amy MacLeod; Alexander P. Turner; Faraham Ahmadzadeh; Gonzalo Albaladejo; Jelka Crnobrnja-I...; Ignacio De la Riva; Adnane Fawzi; Pedro Galán; Bayram Göçmen; D. James Harris; Octavio Jiménez-R...; Ulrich Joger; Olga Jovanović Gl...; Mert Karış; Giannina Koziel; Sven Künzel; Mariana Lyra; Donald Miles; Manuel Nogales; Mehmet Anıl Oğuz; Panayiotis Pafilis; Loïs Rancilhac; Noemí Rodríguez; Benza Rodríguez C...; Eugenia Sanchez; Daniele Salvi; Tahar Slimani; Abderrahim S’khifa; Ali Turk Qashqaei; Anamarija Žagar; Alan Lemmon; Emily Moriarty Le...; Miguel Angel Carr...; Salvador Carranza; Hervé Philippe; Barry Sinervo; Johannes Müller; Miguel Vences; Katharina C. Woll...
• Keywords: Tropical climate; Lacertidae

Climatic conditions changing over time and space shape the evolution of organisms at multiple levels, including temperate lizards in family Lacertidae. Here we reconstruct a dated phylogenetic tree 262 lacertid species based on supermatrix relying novel phylogenomic datasets fossil calibrations. Diversification lacertids was accompanied by an increasing disparity among occupied bioclimatic niches, especially last 10 Ma, during period progressive global cooling. Temperate also underwent genome-wide slowdown molecular substitution rates compared to tropical desert-adapted lacertids. Evaporative water loss preferred temperature are correlated with parameters, indicating physiological adaptations climate. Tropical, but some populations cool-adapted experience maximum temperatures close their temperatures. We hypothesize these species-specific preferences may constitute handicap prevail under rapid warming, contribute explaining local lizard extinctions cool humid climates.