Spiny frogs (Paini) illuminate the history of the Himalayan region and Southeast Asia

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1008415107
• Publication Date: 2010-07-20T04:50:30Z
• Authors: Jing Che; Wei-Wei Zhou; Jian-Sheng Hu; Fang Yan; Theodore J. Papen...; David B. Wake; Ya-Ping Zhang
• Keywords: Vicariance; Lineage (genetic)

Asian frogs of the tribe Paini (Anura: Dicroglossidae) range across several first-order tectono-morphological domains Cenozoic Indo-Asian collision that include Tibetan Plateau, Himalayas, and Indochina. We show how tectonic events induced by affected regional biota and, in turn, geological history earth can be viewed from a biological perspective. Our analysis concatenated dataset comprising four nuclear gene sequences revealed two main radiations, corresponding to genera Nanorana (I) Quasipaa (II). Five distinct clades are recognized: plateau clade (I-1), Himalaya (I-2), environs Himalaya-Tibetan (I-3), South China (II-1), Indochina (II-2). This pattern relationships highlights significance geography shaping evolutionary history. Building on our molecular dating, ancestral region reconstruction, distributional patterns, we hypothesize geographic climatic transition Asia beginning Oligocene intensifying Miocene; this stimulated rapid diversification Paini. Vicariance explains species formation among major lineages within Nanorana. Dispersal, contrast, plays an important role Quasipaa, with southern Chinese taxa originating results support hypothesis uplift resulting crustal thickening lateral extrusion occurred synchronously during between Miocene reaction collision. The phylogenetic illuminates critical aspects timing responsible for current Southeast Asia.