Relictual Hybridization and Biogeography of the Massasauga Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus spp.)

We used genomic SNPs to study introgression and phylogeography in two Massasauga (Sistrurus spp.) contact zones in the midwestern and southwestern United States. We explored the paraphyletic relationships seen within Sistrurus tergeminus tergeminus and S. t. edwardsii as well as potential hybrids in a disjunct population of S. tergeminus in Missouri. Our data support contrasting biogeographic factors to have modulated the evolutionary history of Sistrurus tergeminus. In the Midwest, glacial cycles likely facilitated introgression via alternating periods of isolation and secondary contact, coupled with undulating physiographic features. Furthermore, we identified cryptic population structure within S. t. tergeminus that may warrant conservation consideration, whereas the disjunct Missouri population situated between the main S. tergeminus and S. catenatus ranges shows genetic signals of secondary contact and may represent a relictual lineage. In the southwestern contact zone, S. t. tergeminus and S. t. edwardsii may be undergoing primary divergence, accordant with the more limited presence of physiographic barriers in the region and the lower genetic divergence observed among the two taxa.

Identifier
Source https://data.blue-cloud.org/search-details?step=~012263EDAE2A7E3B753A6350F6FCE0C6D43A31A95A7
Metadata Access https://data.blue-cloud.org/api/collections/263EDAE2A7E3B753A6350F6FCE0C6D43A31A95A7
Provenance
Instrument Illumina HiSeq 4000; ILLUMINA
Publisher Blue-Cloud Data Discovery & Access service; ELIXIR-ENA
Publication Year 2024
OpenAccess true
Contact blue-cloud-support(at)maris.nl
Representation
Discipline Marine Science
Temporal Coverage Begin 2023-10-02T00:00:00Z
Temporal Coverage End 2023-10-29T00:00:00Z