The macroevolutionary singularity of snakes

Pascal O. Title; Sonal Singhal; Michael C. Grundler; Gabriel C. Costa; R. Alexander Pyron; Timothy J. Colston; Maggie R. Grundler; Ivan Prates; Natasha Stepanova; Marc E.H. Jones; Lucas B.Q. Cavalcanti; Guarino R. Colli; Nicolas Di-Poï; Stephen C. Donnellan; Craig Moritz; Daniel O. Mesquita; Eric R. Pianka; Stephen A. Smith; Laurie J. Vitt; Daniel L. Rabosky

doi:10.1126/science.adh2449

The macroevolutionary singularity of snakes

Pascal O. Title
, Sonal Singhal
, Michael C. Grundler
, Gabriel C. Costa
, R. Alexander Pyron
, Timothy J. Colston
, Maggie R. Grundler
, Ivan Prates
, Natasha Stepanova
, Marc E.H. Jones
, Lucas B.Q. Cavalcanti
, Guarino R. Colli
, Nicolas Di-Poï
, Stephen C. Donnellan
, Craig Moritz
, Daniel O. Mesquita
, Eric R. Pianka
, Stephen A. Smith
, Laurie J. Vitt
, Daniel L. Rabosky

Ecology and Evolution

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
California State University Dominguez Hills
Auburn University
George Washington University
Smithsonian Institution
University of Puerto Rico
University of California at Berkeley
The Natural History Museum, London
University College London
Adelaide University
Universidade Federal da Paraíba
Universidade de Brasília
University of Helsinki
South Australian Museum
Australian National University
University of Texas at Austin
University of Oklahoma

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

71 Scopus citations

Abstract

Snakes and lizards (Squamata) represent a third of terrestrial vertebrates and exhibit spectacular innovations in locomotion, feeding, and sensory processing. However, the evolutionary drivers of this radiation remain poorly known. We infer potential causes and ultimate consequences of squamate macroevolution by combining individual-based natural history observations (>60,000 animals) with a comprehensive time-calibrated phylogeny that we anchored with genomic data (5400 loci) from 1018 species. Due to shifts in the dynamics of speciation and phenotypic evolution, snakes have transformed the trophic structure of animal communities through the recurrent origin and diversification of specialized predatory strategies. Squamate biodiversity reflects a legacy of singular events that occurred during the early history of snakes and reveals the impact of historical contingency on vertebrate biodiversity.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	918-923
Number of pages	6
Journal	Science
Volume	383
Issue number	6685
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh2449
State	Published - Feb 23 2024

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Title, P. O., Singhal, S., Grundler, M. C., Costa, G. C., Pyron, R. A., Colston, T. J., Grundler, M. R., Prates, I., Stepanova, N., Jones, M. E. H., Cavalcanti, L. B. Q., Colli, G. R., Di-Poï, N., Donnellan, S. C., Moritz, C., Mesquita, D. O., Pianka, E. R., Smith, S. A., Vitt, L. J., & Rabosky, D. L. (2024). The macroevolutionary singularity of snakes. Science, 383(6685), 918-923. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh2449

@article{520acd5ec41a4ee29d9e9a693262ab39,

title = "The macroevolutionary singularity of snakes",

abstract = "Snakes and lizards (Squamata) represent a third of terrestrial vertebrates and exhibit spectacular innovations in locomotion, feeding, and sensory processing. However, the evolutionary drivers of this radiation remain poorly known. We infer potential causes and ultimate consequences of squamate macroevolution by combining individual-based natural history observations (>60,000 animals) with a comprehensive time-calibrated phylogeny that we anchored with genomic data (5400 loci) from 1018 species. Due to shifts in the dynamics of speciation and phenotypic evolution, snakes have transformed the trophic structure of animal communities through the recurrent origin and diversification of specialized predatory strategies. Squamate biodiversity reflects a legacy of singular events that occurred during the early history of snakes and reveals the impact of historical contingency on vertebrate biodiversity.",

author = "Title, \{Pascal O.\} and Sonal Singhal and Grundler, \{Michael C.\} and Costa, \{Gabriel C.\} and Pyron, \{R. Alexander\} and Colston, \{Timothy J.\} and Grundler, \{Maggie R.\} and Ivan Prates and Natasha Stepanova and Jones, \{Marc E.H.\} and Cavalcanti, \{Lucas B.Q.\} and Colli, \{Guarino R.\} and Nicolas Di-Po{\"i} and Donnellan, \{Stephen C.\} and Craig Moritz and Mesquita, \{Daniel O.\} and Pianka, \{Eric R.\} and Smith, \{Stephen A.\} and Vitt, \{Laurie J.\} and Rabosky, \{Daniel L.\}",

year = "2024",

month = feb,

day = "23",

doi = "10.1126/science.adh2449",

language = "English",

volume = "383",

pages = "918--923",

journal = "Science",

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Title, PO, Singhal, S, Grundler, MC, Costa, GC, Pyron, RA, Colston, TJ, Grundler, MR, Prates, I, Stepanova, N, Jones, MEH, Cavalcanti, LBQ, Colli, GR, Di-Poï, N, Donnellan, SC, Moritz, C, Mesquita, DO, Pianka, ER, Smith, SA, Vitt, LJ & Rabosky, DL 2024, 'The macroevolutionary singularity of snakes', Science, vol. 383, no. 6685, pp. 918-923. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh2449

TY - JOUR

T1 - The macroevolutionary singularity of snakes

AU - Title, Pascal O.

AU - Singhal, Sonal

AU - Grundler, Michael C.

AU - Costa, Gabriel C.

AU - Pyron, R. Alexander

AU - Colston, Timothy J.

AU - Grundler, Maggie R.

AU - Prates, Ivan

AU - Stepanova, Natasha

AU - Jones, Marc E.H.

AU - Cavalcanti, Lucas B.Q.

AU - Colli, Guarino R.

AU - Di-Poï, Nicolas

AU - Donnellan, Stephen C.

AU - Moritz, Craig

AU - Mesquita, Daniel O.

AU - Pianka, Eric R.

AU - Smith, Stephen A.

AU - Vitt, Laurie J.

AU - Rabosky, Daniel L.

PY - 2024/2/23

Y1 - 2024/2/23

N2 - Snakes and lizards (Squamata) represent a third of terrestrial vertebrates and exhibit spectacular innovations in locomotion, feeding, and sensory processing. However, the evolutionary drivers of this radiation remain poorly known. We infer potential causes and ultimate consequences of squamate macroevolution by combining individual-based natural history observations (>60,000 animals) with a comprehensive time-calibrated phylogeny that we anchored with genomic data (5400 loci) from 1018 species. Due to shifts in the dynamics of speciation and phenotypic evolution, snakes have transformed the trophic structure of animal communities through the recurrent origin and diversification of specialized predatory strategies. Squamate biodiversity reflects a legacy of singular events that occurred during the early history of snakes and reveals the impact of historical contingency on vertebrate biodiversity.

AB - Snakes and lizards (Squamata) represent a third of terrestrial vertebrates and exhibit spectacular innovations in locomotion, feeding, and sensory processing. However, the evolutionary drivers of this radiation remain poorly known. We infer potential causes and ultimate consequences of squamate macroevolution by combining individual-based natural history observations (>60,000 animals) with a comprehensive time-calibrated phylogeny that we anchored with genomic data (5400 loci) from 1018 species. Due to shifts in the dynamics of speciation and phenotypic evolution, snakes have transformed the trophic structure of animal communities through the recurrent origin and diversification of specialized predatory strategies. Squamate biodiversity reflects a legacy of singular events that occurred during the early history of snakes and reveals the impact of historical contingency on vertebrate biodiversity.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85185864872

U2 - 10.1126/science.adh2449

DO - 10.1126/science.adh2449

M3 - Article

C2 - 38386744

AN - SCOPUS:85185864872

SN - 0036-8075

VL - 383

SP - 918

EP - 923

JO - Science

JF - Science

IS - 6685

ER -

The macroevolutionary singularity of snakes

Abstract

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