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Animals
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Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna
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Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Herpetology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2023) | Viewed by 39193

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jianping Jiang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chengdu Institute of Biology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Interests: amphibians and reptiles’ diversity and conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Bin Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Interests: systematics; molecular phylogenetics; phylogeography; evolutionary biology; ecology and evolution; biogeography; genomics; population genetics; species diversity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wei Zhu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Interests: environmental adaptation; adaptive evolution; physiology; metabolism; genomics; metagenomics; systems biology; environmental pollution; thermal biology; microbial symbioses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Amphibians and reptiles play a critical role in the evolution of tetrapoda. They exhibit high diversity in genetics, species, morphology, life-history traits, and evolutionary functions. These colorful animals are adapted to numerous environments, including some extremes such as Carst caves and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This makes them important models to study the genetic mechanisms underlying the speciation, environmental adaptation, and evolution of some important functional traits and phenotypes (e.g., air breathing and amniotic sac), as well as organ regeneration. Amphibians and reptiles are essential components in numerous ecosystems; however, they are most sensitive to environmental changes (e.g., warming, pollution, and habitat degradation) due to their poor migration capacity. In recent decades, wild amphibian and reptile populations have declined drastically, and a large proportion of these species are threatened with extinction. Currently, the species diversity of amphibians and reptiles is still underestimated, and dozens of new species have been found each year. Given the accelerated global changes in climate and environments, there is an urgent need to deepen our understanding of the diversity and evolutionary adaptation of these animals, and of how they respond to environmental changes. Therefore, it is important to develop some applicative and integrative approaches to guide the conservation of wild amphibians and reptiles.

This Special Issue aims to improve our understanding of the diversity, evolution, and environmental adaptation of amphibians and reptiles, and to discuss some ideas and approaches for their conservation in the context of global change. We welcome publications which focus on any aspects of the evolution, diversity, and conservation of amphibians and reptiles. Some examples include:

  • Species and functional diversity of amphibians and reptiles at large scales.
  • Inter-population divergences in behavior, physiology, metabolism, and genetics (including metagenomics).
  • The genetic mechanisms of important morphological and functional traits.
  • Influences of environmental stresses on the fitness of amphibians and reptiles with mechanistic analyses.
  • Environmental adaptation of amphibians and reptiles from the perspective of genomics, metabolomics, and metagenomics.
  • Conservation physiology, genomics, metagenomics, and applications.

Prof. Dr. Jianping Jiang
Dr. Bin Wang
Dr. Wei Zhu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • herpetology
  • amphibians
  • reptiles
  • zoology
  • adaptive evolution
  • biodiversity
  • biogeography
  • cladistics
  • conservation biology
  • ecology and evolution
  • environmental adaptation
  • environmental DNA
  • environmental stresses
  • evolution and development
  • evolutionary biology
  • genetics
  • genomics
  • meta-genomics
  • microbial symbioses
  • molecular phylogenetics
  • phylogeography
  • physiology and metabolism
  • population genetics
  • species diversity
  • systematics
  • systems biology
  • taxonomy

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

4 pages, 358 KiB  
Editorial
Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna
by Wei Zhu, Bin Wang and Jianping Jiang
Animals 2024, 14(13), 2004; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14132004 - 7 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1650
Abstract
Amphibians and reptiles play a critical role in the evolution of Tetrapoda, showcasing significant diversity in terms of their genetics, species, morphology, life history traits, and evolutionary functions [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna)
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Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

14 pages, 1382 KiB  
Article
eDNA Metabarcoding Reveals the Species–Area Relationship of Amphibians on the Zhoushan Archipelago
by Wenhao Li, Xianglei Hou, Yunlong Zhu, Jiacong Du, Chunxia Xu, Jingyuan Yang and Yiming Li
Animals 2024, 14(11), 1519; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14111519 - 21 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1295
Abstract
The species–area relationship is important for understanding species diversity patterns at spatial scales, but few studies have examined the relationship using environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques. We investigated amphibian diversity on 21 islands of the Zhoushan Archipelago and nearby mainland areas in China using [...] Read more.
The species–area relationship is important for understanding species diversity patterns at spatial scales, but few studies have examined the relationship using environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques. We investigated amphibian diversity on 21 islands of the Zhoushan Archipelago and nearby mainland areas in China using the combination of eDNA metabarcoding and the traditional line transect method (TLTM) and identified the species–area relationship for amphibians on the islands. The mean detection probability of eDNA is 0.54, while the mean detection probability of TLTM is 0.24. The eDNA metabarcoding detected eight amphibian species on the islands and nine species in the mainland areas, compared with seven species on the islands and nine species in the mainland areas that were identified by TLTM. Amphibian richness on the islands increased with island area and habitat diversity. The species–area relationship for amphibians in the archipelago was formulated as the power function (S = 0.47A0.21) or exponential function (S = 2.59 + 2.41 (logA)). Our results suggested that eDNA metabarcoding is more sensitive for the detection of amphibian species. The combined use of eDNA metabarcoding and the traditional line transect method may optimize the survey results for amphibians. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna)
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24 pages, 4850 KiB  
Article
Phylogeography and Ecological Niche Modeling of the Alashan Pit Viper (Gloydius cognatus; Reptilia, Viperidae) in Northwest China and Adjacent Areas
by Rui Xu, Tatjana N. Dujsebayeva, Dali Chen, Byambasuren Mijidsuren, Feng Xu and Xianguang Guo
Animals 2023, 13(23), 3726; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13233726 - 1 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1718
Abstract
The joint impacts of historical geological events and Quaternary climatic oscillations in Northwest China on species evolution have been examined extensively in plant under a phylogeographic perspective. However, animal phylogeographic analyses in this region are still limited. The Alashan pit viper, Gloydius cognatus [...] Read more.
The joint impacts of historical geological events and Quaternary climatic oscillations in Northwest China on species evolution have been examined extensively in plant under a phylogeographic perspective. However, animal phylogeographic analyses in this region are still limited. The Alashan pit viper, Gloydius cognatus, occurs primarily in arid Northwest China and adjacent areas. Based on variation at two mtDNA genes (ND4 and Cytb) in 27 individuals representing 24 populations, the spatial genetic structure and demographic history of G. cognatus were examined across its geographic range. Phylogenetic analyses revealed two well-supported allopatric clades (each with two distinct subclades/lineages), distributed across the southern (Qaidam Basin, Lanzhou Basin, and Zoige Basin [S1]; Loess Plateau [S2]) and northern (Ily Basin [N1]; Junggar Basin and Mongolian Plateau [N2]) regions. AMOVA analysis demonstrated that over 76% of the observed genetic variation was related to these lineage splits, indicating substantial genetic differentiation among the four lineages. A strong pattern of isolation-by-distance across the sampling populations suggested that geographic distance principally shaped the genetic structure. The four lineages diverged by 0.9–2.2% for the concatenated data, which were estimated to have coalesced ~1.17 million years ago (Mya), suggesting that the expansions of the Badain Jaran, Tengger, and Mu Us deserts during the Xixiabangma glaciation likely interrupted gene flow and triggered the observed divergence in the southern and northern regions. Subsequently, the early Pleistocene integration of the Yellow River and associated deserts expansion promoted the differentiation of S1 and S2 lineages (~0.9 Mya). Both mitochondrial evidence and ecological niche modeling (ENM) reject the signature of demographic and range contractions during the LGM for G. cognatus. In addition, ENM predicts that the suitable habitat of G. cognatus will contract in the future. As such, the conservation and management of ESUs should be a priority. Our findings provide the first insights on the lineage diversification and population dynamics of the Alashan pit viper in relation to geological history and Pleistocene climatic oscillations in arid Northwest China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna)
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14 pages, 3819 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Vasoreactivity in a Semi-Arboreal Snake, the Tokara Habu (Protobothrops tokarensis)
by Tomoki Ootawa, Siyuan Wu, Ryoya Sekio, Henry Smith, Md. Zahorul Islam, Ha Thi Thanh Nguyen, Yasuhiro Uno, Mitsuya Shiraishi and Atsushi Miyamoto
Animals 2023, 13(23), 3629; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13233629 - 23 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1752
Abstract
Vasoreactivity is relatively well documented in terrestrial snakes but has previously been investigated in only one semi-arboreal snake species. Consequently, the extent to which vasoreactivity is common across snake taxa or varies by habitat is unclear. The Tokara habu (Protobothrops tokarensis) [...] Read more.
Vasoreactivity is relatively well documented in terrestrial snakes but has previously been investigated in only one semi-arboreal snake species. Consequently, the extent to which vasoreactivity is common across snake taxa or varies by habitat is unclear. The Tokara habu (Protobothrops tokarensis) is a semi-arboreal snake endemic to only two small adjacent Japanese islands, and hence a useful species for further investigation of vasoreactivity. We evaluated responses to known vasoactive substances in thoracic aortas isolated from Tokara habu. Under resting tension, noradrenaline and angiotensin II induced concentration-dependent contraction, but acetylcholine, serotonin (5-hydroxytriptamine; 5-HT), and isoproterenol induced relaxation followed by contraction. Histamine and rattlesnake bradykinin had no effect. Experiments with receptor-specific antagonists suggest that M1 and M3 receptors are involved in the acetylcholine-induced response; 5-HT1, 5-HT2, and 5-HT7 receptors in the serotonin-induced response; and β1 and β2 adrenoceptors in isoproterenol-induced relaxation. This is the first report on such response patterns in snakes (including serotonin- and isoproterenol-induced relaxation). Nitric oxide may be involved in acetylcholine-induced relaxation but not in the responses to serotonin or isoproterenol. In contrast to the uniform vasoreactivity observed in terrestrial snakes, the vasoreactivity of semi-arboreal snakes may be governed by diverse regulatory mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna)
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28 pages, 9321 KiB  
Article
The Fergana Valley Is an Isolate of Biodiversity: A Discussion of the Endemic Herpetofauna and Description of Two New Species of Alsophylax (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Eastern Uzbekistan
by Roman A. Nazarov, Timur V. Abduraupov, Evgeniya Yu. Shepelya, Mariya A. Gritsina, Daniel A. Melnikov, Matthew D. Buehler, Jack D. Lapin, Nikolay A. Poyarkov and Jesse L. Grismer
Animals 2023, 13(15), 2516; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13152516 - 4 Aug 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3315
Abstract
The high level of endemism in Fergana Valley has been well documented in numerous studies for various groups of animals and plants. In a relatively small area, there are 45 endemic plant species, five endemic insect species, and five endemic reptile species. In [...] Read more.
The high level of endemism in Fergana Valley has been well documented in numerous studies for various groups of animals and plants. In a relatively small area, there are 45 endemic plant species, five endemic insect species, and five endemic reptile species. In surveying this area for data on distribution, abundance, acoustics, and genetic samples for species of reptiles, we discovered two new species of gecko from the genus Alsophylax. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequences indicate the relatives of these new species are the even-fingered gecko, Alsophylax pipiens, and the southern even-fingered gecko, Alsophylax laevis, located hundreds of kilometers to the northwest and southwest of the Fergana Valley. The threats to these new endemic species are significant given the amount of continued agricultural development that involves new territories previously considered “unsuitable” for any species of significance that is leading to the further reduction in, fragmentation of, and degradation of the remaining natural ecosystems in the Fergana Valley. The conservation of these rare and locally endemic species depends directly on the readiness of the state to create areas with IUCN I and II protection. The many studies documenting levels of endemism, along with the data published in this study, are the basis for the justification for state-protected areas in the Fergana Valley. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna)
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12 pages, 1773 KiB  
Article
Sex-Linked Loci on the W Chromosome in the Multi-Ocellated Racerunner (Eremias multiocellata) Confirm Genetic Sex-Determination Stability in Lacertid Lizards
by Zhangqing Chu, Ziwen Wang, Yuchi Zheng, Yun Xia and Xianguang Guo
Animals 2023, 13(13), 2180; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13132180 - 3 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1539
Abstract
The multi-ocellated racerunner, Eremias multiocellata, was considered to have temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), as its sex ratio can be influenced at different temperatures. However, such an observation contrasts with recent findings that suggest TSD is less common than previously thought. Here, a [...] Read more.
The multi-ocellated racerunner, Eremias multiocellata, was considered to have temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), as its sex ratio can be influenced at different temperatures. However, such an observation contrasts with recent findings that suggest TSD is less common than previously thought. Here, a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach was employed to identify sex-linked markers in the E. multiocellata, for which the mechanism choice of TSD or GSD is still controversial. We preliminarily identified 119 sex-linked markers based on sex-associated sex-specific sequences, 97% of which indicated female heterogamety. After eliminating the false positives, 38 sex-linked markers were recognized, all of which showed the ZW/ZZ system. Then, eight of the novel markers were verified by PCR amplification from 15 populations of E. multiocellata, which support the GSD in E. multiocellata without geographic variation. To test the conservation of sex chromosome in Eremias, the eight markers were further cross-tested by PCR amplification in 10 individuals of the Mongolian racerunner (Eremias argus), two of which exhibited cross-utility. The novel sex-linked markers could be mapped on the W chromosome of the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis). Our finding that the sex-linked markers are shared in closely related species, along with a conserved synteny of the W chromosome, further supports the homology and conservation of sex chromosomes in the lacertid lizards. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna)
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16 pages, 6556 KiB  
Article
Mitochondrial DNA and Distribution Modelling Evidenced the Lost Genetic Diversity and Wild-Residence of Star Tortoise, Geochelone elegans (Testudines: Testudinidae) in India
by Shantanu Kundu, Tanoy Mukherjee, Ah Ran Kim, Soo-Rin Lee, Abhishek Mukherjee, Won-Kyo Jung and Hyun-Woo Kim
Animals 2023, 13(1), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13010150 - 30 Dec 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3425
Abstract
The Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) is a massively traded animal in South Asia. To mitigate this risk, the conservation agencies recommended guidelines to safeguard this charismatic species in nature. We adopted mitochondrial DNA-based investigation and performed species distribution modeling of [...] Read more.
The Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) is a massively traded animal in South Asia. To mitigate this risk, the conservation agencies recommended guidelines to safeguard this charismatic species in nature. We adopted mitochondrial DNA-based investigation and performed species distribution modeling of G. elegans throughout its distribution range in the Indian subcontinent. The genetic analyses revealed weak genetic landscape shape interpolations, low intraspecific distances (0% to 1.5%) with mixed haplotype diversity, and a single molecular operational taxonomic unit (MOTU) in the cytochrome b gene dataset. The star tortoise, G. elegans, and its sister species Geochelone platynota showed a monophyletic clustering in the Bayesian (BA) phylogeny. We also attempt to understand the habitat suitability and quality of G. elegans in its distribution range. Our results suggest that, out of the extant area, only 56,495 km2 (9.90%) is suitable for this species, with regions of highest suitability in Sri Lanka. Comparative habitat quality estimation suggests the patch shape complexity and habitat fragmentation are greater in the western and southern ranges of India, which have been greatly influenced by an increased level of urbanization and agriculture practices. We have also provided a retrospect on the potential threat to G. elegans related to the wildlife trade on the regional and international spectrum. Our results detected multiple trading hubs and junctions overlying within the suitable ranges which need special attention in the vicinity. The present study calls for a proper conservation strategy to combat the fragmented distribution and explicitly recommends intensive genetic screening of founder individuals or isolated adult colonies, implementing scientific breeding, and subsequent wild release to restore the lost genetic diversity of star tortoises. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna)
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31 pages, 5632 KiB  
Article
Description of a New Cobra (Naja Laurenti, 1768; Squamata, Elapidae) from China with Designation of a Neotype for Naja atra
by Sheng-Chao Shi, Gernot Vogel, Li Ding, Ding-Qi Rao, Shuo Liu, Liang Zhang, Zheng-Jun Wu and Ze-Ning Chen
Animals 2022, 12(24), 3481; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12243481 - 9 Dec 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 13065
Abstract
Taxonomic frameworks for medically important species such as cobras (genus Naja Laurenti, 1768; Squamata, Elapidae) are essential for the medical treatment of snake bites and accurate antivenin development. In this paper, we described the former N. kaouthia populations recorded from China as a [...] Read more.
Taxonomic frameworks for medically important species such as cobras (genus Naja Laurenti, 1768; Squamata, Elapidae) are essential for the medical treatment of snake bites and accurate antivenin development. In this paper, we described the former N. kaouthia populations recorded from China as a new species and designated a neotype for N. atra-based morphological and mitochondrial phylogenetic analysis. The new species N. fuxisp. nov. was morphologically diagnosed from N. kaouthia by (1) regular single narrow crossband present on the middle and posterior parts of the dorsum (3–15, 7.9 ± 2.7, n = 32) and the dorsal surface of the tail (1–6, 4.2 ± 1.1, n = 32) of both adults and juveniles, buff-colored with dark fringes on both edges, vs. South Asian populations (n = 39) and Southeast Asian populations (n = 35) without cross bands, with irregular cross bands or multiple light-colored crossbands pairs, or densely woven lines; (2) small scales between the posterior chin shields, usually three (40%) or two (37%), rarely four (13%), or one (10%) (n = 30) vs. mostly one (81%) and rarely two (19%) (n = 28); (3) ventrals 179–205 (195.4 ± 6.7, n = 33) vs. South Asian populations 179–199 (188.7 ± 5.9, n = 12); Southeast Asian populations 168–186 (177.8 ± 4.9, n = 18). Phylogenetically, the new species forms an independent sister clade to the clade including N. atra, N. kaouthia, N. oxiana and N. sagittifera. Furthermore, the subspecies N. naja polyocellata should be resurrected and recognized as a full species, N. polyocellatacomb. nov., and the subspecies N. sumatrana miolepis should be resurrected. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna)
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18 pages, 4729 KiB  
Article
Climate Change and Dispersal Ability Jointly Affects the Future Distribution of Crocodile Lizards
by Xiao-Li Zhang, Facundo Alvarez, Martin J. Whiting, Xu-Dong Qin, Ze-Ning Chen and Zheng-Jun Wu
Animals 2022, 12(20), 2731; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12202731 - 11 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3230
Abstract
Crocodile lizards (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) are an endangered, ‘living fossil’ reptile from a monophyletic family and therefore, a high priority for conservation. We constructed climatic models to evaluate the potential impact of climate change on the distribution of crocodile lizards for the [...] Read more.
Crocodile lizards (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) are an endangered, ‘living fossil’ reptile from a monophyletic family and therefore, a high priority for conservation. We constructed climatic models to evaluate the potential impact of climate change on the distribution of crocodile lizards for the period 2000 to 2100 and determined the key environmental factors that affect the dispersal of this endangered species. For the construction of climatic models, we used 985 presence-only data points and 6 predictor variables which showed excellent performance (AUC = 0.974). The three top-ranked factors predicting crocodile lizard distribution were precipitation of the wettest month (bio13, 37.1%), precipitation of the coldest quarter (bio19, 17.9%), and temperature seasonality (bio4, 14.3%). Crocodile lizards were, just as they are now, widely distributed in the north of Guangdong Province in China and Quảng Ninh Province in Vietnam at the last glacial maximum (LGM). Since the LGM, there has been an increase in suitable habitats, particularly in east-central Guangxi Province, China. Under future global warming scenarios, the potential habitat for crocodile lizards is expected to decrease significantly in the next 100 years. Under the most optimistic scenario, only 7.35% to 6.54% of suitable habitat will remain, and under the worst climatic scenario, only 8.34% to 0.86% of suitable habitat will remain. Models for no dispersal and limited dispersal showed that all crocodile lizards would lose habitat as temperatures increase. Our work contributes to an increased understanding of the current and future spatial distribution of the species, supporting practical management and conservation plans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna)
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28 pages, 28325 KiB  
Article
Complete Mitogenomes of Polypedates Tree Frogs Unveil Gene Rearrangement and Concerted Evolution within Rhacophoridae
by Lin Cui, An Huang, Zhi He, Lisha Ao, Fei Ge, Xiaolan Fan, Bo Zeng, Mingyao Yang, Deying Yang, Qingyong Ni, Yan Li, Yongfang Yao, Huailiang Xu, Jiandong Yang, Zhimin Wei, Tongqing Li, Taiming Yan and Mingwang Zhang
Animals 2022, 12(18), 2449; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12182449 - 16 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2450
Abstract
New developments in sequencing technology and nucleotide analysis have allowed us to make great advances in reconstructing anuran phylogeny. As a clade of representative amphibians that have radiated from aquatic to arboreal habitats, our understanding of the systematic status and molecular biology of [...] Read more.
New developments in sequencing technology and nucleotide analysis have allowed us to make great advances in reconstructing anuran phylogeny. As a clade of representative amphibians that have radiated from aquatic to arboreal habitats, our understanding of the systematic status and molecular biology of rhacophorid tree frogs is still limited. We determined two new mitogenomes for the genus Polypedates (Rhacophoridae): P. impresus and P. mutus. We conducted comparative and phylogenetic analyses using our data and seven other rhacophorid mitogenomes. The mitogenomes of the genera Polypedates, Buergeria, and Zhangixalus were almost identical, except that the ATP8 gene in Polypedates had become a non-coding region; Buergeria maintained the legacy “LTPF” tRNA gene cluster compared to the novel “TLPF” order in the other two genera; and B. buergeri and Z. dennysi had no control region (CR) duplication. The resulting phylogenetic relationship supporting the above gene rearrangement pathway suggested parallel evolution of ATP8 gene loss of function (LoF) in Polypedates and CR duplication with concerted evolution of paralogous CRs in rhacophorids. Finally, conflicting topologies in the phylograms of 185 species reflected the advantages of phylogenetic analyses using multiple loci. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna)
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12 pages, 2104 KiB  
Article
Transcriptome Analyses Provide Insights into the Auditory Function in Trachemys scripta elegans
by Ningning Lu, Bo Chen, Jiao Qing, Jinhong Lei, Tongliang Wang, Haitao Shi and Jichao Wang
Animals 2022, 12(18), 2410; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12182410 - 14 Sep 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2343
Abstract
An auditory ability is essential for communication in vertebrates, and considerable attention has been paid to auditory sensitivity in mammals, birds, and frogs. Turtles were thought to be deaf for a long time; however, recent studies have confirmed the presence of an auditory [...] Read more.
An auditory ability is essential for communication in vertebrates, and considerable attention has been paid to auditory sensitivity in mammals, birds, and frogs. Turtles were thought to be deaf for a long time; however, recent studies have confirmed the presence of an auditory ability in Trachemys scripta elegans as well as sex-related differences in hearing sensitivity. Earlier studies mainly focused on the morphological and physiological functions of the hearing organ in turtles; thus, the gene expression patterns remain unclear. In this study, 36 transcriptomes from six tissues (inner ear, tympanic membrane, brain, eye, lung, and muscle) were sequenced to explore the gene expression patterns of the hearing system in T. scripta elegans. A weighted gene co-expression network analysis revealed that hub genes related to the inner ear and tympanic membrane are involved in development and signal transduction. Moreover, we identified six differently expressed genes (GABRA1, GABRG2, GABBR2, GNAO1, SLC38A1, and SLC12A5) related to the GABAergic synapse pathway as candidate genes to explain the differences in sexually dimorphic hearing sensitivity. Collectively, this study provides a critical foundation for genetic research on auditory functions in turtles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna)
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Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

17 pages, 1425 KiB  
Review
Importance of Genetic–Fitness Correlations for the Conservation of Amphibians
by Heike Pröhl and Ariel Rodríguez
Animals 2023, 13(22), 3564; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13223564 - 18 Nov 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1586
Abstract
Endangered animals suffer from isolation of their habitats. Isolation leads to a reduction in population size as well as a decrease in genetic diversity and a concomitant increase in the risk of extinction. Amphibians are the most endangered vertebrate class. Besides habitat loss, [...] Read more.
Endangered animals suffer from isolation of their habitats. Isolation leads to a reduction in population size as well as a decrease in genetic diversity and a concomitant increase in the risk of extinction. Amphibians are the most endangered vertebrate class. Besides habitat loss, fragmentation and isolation, amphibians are threatened by emerging diseases e.g., chytrid fungus or Ranavirus. By employing experiments, researchers investigate whether changes in genetic diversity within or among isolated populations affect amphibian fitness. While genetic diversity estimates are based on molecular markers, typically microsatellites, fitness is mostly measured as tadpole performance in rearing experiments often under varying environmental conditions. Tadpole performances (e.g., body mass, growth rate and survival) have been found to be negatively affected by low genetic diversity, as several studies have found a positive association between genetic diversity and these fitness traits. Moreover, infection with pathogens also seems to be more likely in individuals or populations with lower genetic diversity. Overall, these genetic–fitness correlations seem to be more pronounced or detectable in smaller, declining populations but not in larger populations. Genomic studies, which sample a larger fraction of the genome, are still scarce in the conservation genetic literature on amphibians. These are likely to increase in upcoming years and may reveal adaptive variants that protect against dangerous pathogens or environmental changes. Altogether, genetic–fitness correlation studies should be a priority in order to develop effective management plans for the genetic rescue of isolated, imperilled amphibian populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolution, Diversity, and Conservation of Herpetofauna)
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