Biogeography, evolution and diversification of vipers through modifications in New World habitat types

Abstract

Snakes are interesting subjects for biogeographic study due to their variation in morphological traits and geographical distribution. Vipers (Viperidae family) are among the most well-known snakes on the planet, with ca. 380 species described occurring in both Old and New World. The New World landscapes have changed significantly throughout the time of the Viperidae diversification (last 30 million years), with modifications including the emergence of the South American diagonal of open/dry landscapes, the various connections of Asia and Alaska by forested belts through the Bering strait and the emergence of grassland biomes in central North America due to uplift of the Rocky Mountains. These changes gave rise to a variety of biomes in the New World where vipers occur. As most of the viper species occurs in forested habitats, such phytophysiognomic diversity in the region could have had a major influence on the evolution and diversification of these species. This project aims to study the biogeographical history of New World vipers throughout geological time considering the biome diversity and dynamics in the New World. We propose to use advanced Bayesian biogeographic models primarily the feature-informed Geographic State Speciation Extinction (FIGeoSSE or just FIG) models incorporating regional features such as habitat type in the RevBayes environment. (AU)