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Systematic Biology 2008 57(4):562-573; doi:10.1080/10635150802304779
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© 2008 Society of Systematic Biologists

The Role of Geography and Ecological Opportunity in the Diversification of Day Geckos (Phelsuma)

Luke J. Harmon1,2,3, Jane Melville3,4, Allan Larson3 and Jonathan B. Losos5

1 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho Moscow, Idaho 83844-3051, USA; E-mail: lukeh{at}uidaho.edu
2 Biodiversity Centre, University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
3 Department of Biology, Washington University St Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
4 Department of Sciences, Museum Victoria Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
5 Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA

Edited by Todd Oakley


  Abstract

We examine the effects of ecological opportunity and geographic area on rates of species accumulation and morphological evolution following archipelago colonization in day geckos (genus Phelsuma) in the Indian Ocean. Using a newly generated molecular phylogeny for the genus, we present evidence that these geckos likely originated on Madagascar, whereas colonization of three archipelagos in the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles, Mascarene, and Comoros Islands has produced three independent monophyletic radiations. We find that rates of species accumulation are not elevated following colonization but are roughly equivalent on all three isolated archipelagos and on the larger island of Madagascar. However, rates of species accumulation have slowed through time on Madagascar. Rates of morphological evolution are higher in both the Mascarene and Seychelles archipelagos compared to rates on Madagascar. This negative relationship between rate of morphological evolution and island area suggests that ecological opportunity is an important factor in diversification of day gecko species.

Keywords: Adaptive radiation; Indian Ocean; molecular phylogeny; speciation. rate of evolution

Received June 20, 2007; Revised October 9, 2007; Accepted April 2, 2008
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