Molecular and morphological assessment of Australia's most endangered snake, Hoplocephalus bungaroides, reveals two evolutionarily significant units for conservation

Sumner, J; Webb, JK; Shine, R; Keogh, JS

Molecular and morphological assessment of Australia's most endangered snake, Hoplocephalus bungaroides, reveals two evolutionarily significant units for conservation

Sumner, J Webb, JK

Shine, R Keogh, JS

Permalink

Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Conservation Genetics, 2010, 11 (3), pp. 747 - 758
Issue Date:: 2010-06-01

Closed Access

	Filename	Description	Size
	2011003958OK.pdf	Published Version	264.19 kB	Adobe PDF	View/Open

Copyright Clearance Process

Recently Added
In Progress
Closed Access

This item is closed access and not available.

Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Sumner, J	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Webb, JK https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4822-6829	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Shine, R	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Keogh, JS	en_US
dc.date.issued	2010-06-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Conservation Genetics, 2010, 11 (3), pp. 747 - 758	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1566-0621	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/32532
dc.description.abstract	The Broad-headed snake Hoplocephalus bungaroides is one of Australia's most endangered vertebrates. Extant populations of H. bungaroides are restricted to several geographically isolated reserves to the north, west, and south of Sydney. We analysed mitochondrial DNA from 184 specimens drawn from across the geographic range of the Broad-headed snake. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that H. bungaroides comprises two divergent mitochondrial lineages with a "northern" clade comprising populations west and north of Sydney and a "southern" clade comprising animals in Morton National Park. The two clades differ by an uncorrected genetic distance of 1. 7%, which implies a divergence dating to approximately 755,000-850,000 years ago. We complemented our molecular data set with a detailed analysis of morphological variation both between and within the genetic clades. The two H. bungaroides genetic clades are morphologically indistinguishable and show little sexual dimorphism. Our results demonstrate that the populations north and south of this biogeographic split function as two distinct populations with no recent gene flow. There is no reason for separate taxonomic recognition of these two clades, but they do represent distinct evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) that require separate conservation management. In addition, within the northern ESU, populations from Royal National Park, Blue Mountains National Park, Wollemi National Park, and the Sydney Water Catchment supply areas should be considered as separate management units to conserve both evolutionary and ecological processes. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Conservation Genetics	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1007/s10592-009-9863-7	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Evolutionary Biology	en_US
dc.title	Molecular and morphological assessment of Australia's most endangered snake, Hoplocephalus bungaroides, reveals two evolutionarily significant units for conservation	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	3	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	11	en_US
utslib.for	0602 Ecology	en_US
utslib.for	05 Environmental Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	06 Biological Sciences	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	3	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	11	en_US

Abstract:

The Broad-headed snake Hoplocephalus bungaroides is one of Australia's most endangered vertebrates. Extant populations of H. bungaroides are restricted to several geographically isolated reserves to the north, west, and south of Sydney. We analysed mitochondrial DNA from 184 specimens drawn from across the geographic range of the Broad-headed snake. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that H. bungaroides comprises two divergent mitochondrial lineages with a "northern" clade comprising populations west and north of Sydney and a "southern" clade comprising animals in Morton National Park. The two clades differ by an uncorrected genetic distance of 1. 7%, which implies a divergence dating to approximately 755,000-850,000 years ago. We complemented our molecular data set with a detailed analysis of morphological variation both between and within the genetic clades. The two H. bungaroides genetic clades are morphologically indistinguishable and show little sexual dimorphism. Our results demonstrate that the populations north and south of this biogeographic split function as two distinct populations with no recent gene flow. There is no reason for separate taxonomic recognition of these two clades, but they do represent distinct evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) that require separate conservation management. In addition, within the northern ESU, populations from Royal National Park, Blue Mountains National Park, Wollemi National Park, and the Sydney Water Catchment supply areas should be considered as separate management units to conserve both evolutionary and ecological processes. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/32532