Neobatrachus genus Exome, Targeted Loci. Neobatrachus

Polyploidy in animals is limited compared to plants and most polyploid animals reproduce asexually. The Amphibia is an exception among vertebrates with multiple independent sexualy reproducing polyploid lineages, as in Australian burrowing frogs Neobatrachus. We obtained multi-locus sequencing data from 87 Neobatrachus individuals covering the entire group of species, of which six are diploid and three are tetraploid. Phylogenetic inconsistencies and population structure of the species suggested ongoing gene flow between the tetraploids, asymmetric interploidy gene flow directed from the diploids to the tetraploids and current isolation of the diploids from each other. Models of ecologically suitable areas for each species suggested substantial change compared to the past climate, which correlated with population genetics statistics estimating demographic trends. Overall, we propose that Neobatrachus frogs represent a uniquely suitable genus to study the effects of ploidy on evolution of adaptation in animals.