Do the Oaxacan Highlands represent a natural biotic unit? A cladistic biogeographical test based on vertebrate taxa

• Published in: Journal of biogeography Vol. 36; no. 10; pp. 1939 - 1944
• Main Authors: Paniagua, Livia León, Morrone, Juan J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2009; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell Publishing; Blackwell
• Subjects: Amphibia; Amphibia. Reptilia; Amphibians; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Aves; Biogeography; Biological and medical sciences; birds; Cladistics; Evolution; Evolutionary Biogeography; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Highlands; Mammalia; Mammals; Mexico; Mice; Microtus; Oaxaca; Parsimony; Peromyscus; Phylogenetics; Plethodontidae; Pseudoeurycea bellii; Reithrodontomys; Rodentia; Synecology; Taxa; taxonomy; Thraupidae; Vertebrates; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Mexico; Central America; America; Mexico, Chiapas; Oaxaca; cladistics; Taxon; Amphibia; Biogeography; birds; Amphibians; Vertebrata; Mammalia; mammals; evolutionary biogeography; Mexico; Aves
• ISSN: 0305-0270; 1365-2699
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02134.x

We analysed the distributional patterns of six terrestrial vertebrate taxa from the Oaxacan Highlands (Sierra Mazateca, Nudo de Zempoaltépetl and Sierra de Juárez) through a cladistic biogeographical approach, in order to test their naturalness as a biotic unit. The Oaxacan Highlands, Mexico. The cladistic biogeographical analysis was based on the area cladograms of the Pseudoeurycea bellii species group (Amphibia: Plethodontidae), the genus Chlorospingus (Aves: Thraupidae), the genera Microtus, Reithrodontomys and Habromys, and the Peromyscus aztecus species group (Mammalia: Rodentia). We obtained paralogy-free subtrees, from which the components were coded in a data matrix for parsimony analysis. The data matrix was analysed with N ona through W inC lada. The parsimony analysis resulted in a single general area cladogram in which areas were fragmented following the sequence Sierra Madre Occidental, Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, Chiapas, Sierra Madre Oriental + Sierra Mazateca, Sierra Madre del Sur, Nudo de Zempoaltépetl and Sierra de Juárez. The general area cladogram shows that the Oaxacan Highlands do not constitute a natural unit. The Sierra Mazateca is the sister area to the Sierra Madre Oriental, whereas the Nudo de Zempoaltépetl and the Sierra de Juárez are closely related to the Sierra Madre del Sur. The events that might have caused these patterns include cycles of expansion and contraction of mountain pinyon, juniper and oak woodlands during the Pleistocene.