Montane regions shape patterns of diversification in small mammals and reptiles from Madagascar’s moist evergreen forest

Aim
Madagascar is renowned for its exceptional species diversity and endemism. The island’s mountainous regions are thought to have played a role in lineage and species diversification, but this has yet to be explored across taxonomic groups and a temporal context has not yet been identified. We tested whether montane regions have promoted population divergence in Madagascar’s vertebrate fauna and, if so, whether these divergence events were contemporaneous.
Location
Moist evergreen forests of Madagascar.
Taxa
Small mammals and reptiles.
Methods
We analyzed mitochondrial DNA data from 20 small-mammal and five reptile species widely distributed across Madagascar’s moist evergreen forests. We used phylogenetic and population genetic analyses to identify major phylogeographic patterns, then used linear regression to determine if the strength of phylogeographic structure is related to taxon, body size, or elevation. Finally, we tested whether or not divergence across highlands occurred sync...