Data from: Pleistocene island connectivity did not enhance dispersal or impact population size change in Galápagos geckos

Patterns of biodiversity on remote archipelagos are largely shaped by
intra-archipelago colonization followed by in situ diversification.
Pleistocene sea-level fluctuations purportedly enhanced gene flow among
terrestrial organisms by increasing connectivity during periods of lower
sea level. Furthermore, changes in sea-level are hypothesized to impact
population sizes as a result of fluctuations in island sizes. Here, we
used genomic data to test the role of Pleistocene island connectivity on
the diversification and demographics of leaf-toed geckos (Phyllodactylus)
endemic to the Galápagos. Consistent with previous studies, we found that
present diversity of Galápagos Phyllodactylus stems from three independent
dispersal events. Contrary to the hypothesis of Pleistocene-driven
diversification, we found no correspondence between lineage divergence,
island ages, and island connectivity. Furthermore, we found no evidence of
introgression, demographic modeling indicated that all species increased
rapidly in effective population size between 20–150 kya, and these
inferred demographic expansions were largely asynchronous and apparently
unassociated with species or island age. Collectively these results
indicate that more complex abiotic and/or biotic factors may better
explain the recent demographic history of Phyllodactylus and underscore
the need for additional population genomic studies of terrestrial taxa to
understand the impact of past climate cycles on Galápagos island
communities.