Meeting Abstract
The Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) has the largest geographic distribution of any woodland salamander, extending from the Great Lakes region through the Appalachian Mountains and onto the eastern coastal plain. Due to its large geographic range and high abundance, it is a model taxon for studies of ecology, evolution, and behavior. However, the phylogeographic history of this species remains unresolved. Here we report on a phylogeographic analysis of P. cinereus using two mitochondrial genes (Cyt-b and ND2) and three nuclear genes (RAG-1, GAPD, and MLC2A). Our sampling includes 290 individuals from 146 populations throughout the range of this species. We inferred a time-calibrated phylogeny using Bayesian methods, and we recovered multiple clades. The southern half of the range harbors deep phylogenetic diversity. However, clades in the north have larger geographic ranges. Both of these results are consistent with previous work hypothesizing rapid, post-Pleistocene range expansion. The implications of these results for climatic niche evolution will be discussed.
