Comparative Biogeography of the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia: Diversification Across a Wallacean Two-Way Filter Barrier

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Lesser Sunda Archipelago occurs as a double arc of islands extending between Java and Bali in the west and New Guinea in the east. This is one of the most geologically active and tectonically complex regions in the world. The Lesser Sundas may act as "stepping stones" between the Sunda Shelf (Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and Bali) and Sahul Shelf (New Guinea, Australia), thereby forming a two-way filter for organisms dispersing between two of the world's great biogeographical realms, Asia and Australo-Papua. This study investigates speciation and biogeography of this region by applying phylogenetic and biogeographic methodologies, along with coalescent-based population genetic approaches. The study is comparative, investigating 12 amphibian and reptile species complexes. Novel to this program is the development of 200 nuclear DNA loci for each focal taxon using a bait-capture approach that harnesses the power of Next-Gen DNA sequencing. Loci will be analyzed using phylogenetic and population genetic methods to evaluate broad biogeographic patterns across SE Asia, patterns of diversification thoughout the Lesser Sundas, gene flow at lineage boundaries, and to estimate divergence times for speciation events within the archipelago. Results will inform Indonesian agencies tasked with protecting areas of endemism in this Global Conservation hotspot.