Paleoenvironmental models for Australia and the impact of aridification on blindsnake diversification

Aim: Shifts in diversification rates of Australian flora and fauna have been associated with aridification, but the relationship between diversification rates and aridity has never been quantified. We employed multiple approaches to reconstruct paleoenvironments of Australia for the first time. We used this information, and phylogenetic-based analyses, to explore how changes in temperature and increasing aridity during the Neogene influenced the diversification of the Australian blindsnakes. We tested whether diversification rates differ between arid-adapted and mesic-adapted lineages. Taxon: Typhlopidae, Anilios blindsnakes. Location: Australia. Materials and Methods: We estimated the historical biogeography of blindsnakes using BioGeoBEARS. We synthesised multiple approaches to reconstruct paleotemperature and paleoaridity of Australia during the Neogene. We fitted several birth-death models and estimated diversification rates under paleoenvironmental conditions using RPANDA. We further compared diversification rates between arid-adapted lineages versus mesic-adapted lineages using ClaDS and GeoHiSSE. Results: Ancestral area estimation indicated Australian blindsnakes have tropical grassland origins. We found that Australia-specific regional paleotemperature and paleoaridity provided a better explanation for diversification rate variation than global paleotemperature. Specifically, our best-fitting model indicated that speciation rates of blindsnakes decreased with increasing aridity. We found no difference in diversification rates between arid-and mesic-adapted lineages. Main Conclusions: Soon after dispersing to Australia, the common ancestors of Australian blindsnakes diversified rapidly in mesic habitats during the early Miocene. However, as the continent became increasingly arid, diversification rates decreased. We found that shifts in the environment led to the emergence of two major clades: one remaining in primarily mesic habitats and the other adapting to the expanding arid biome. Our results emphasise the importance of both arid and tropical biomes as sources and sinks of diversification.

Automated summary

This study quantified the relationship between diversification rates and aridity, and reconstructed the paleoenvironments of Australian blindsnakes. The results showed that as Australia became more arid, diversification rates of blindsnakes decreased. The study also highlighted the importance of both arid and tropical biomes in diversification.