Snake Genetic Divergence Data Across North American Deserts

747 genetic samples were collected from 12 snake taxon pairs to study phylogeographical structure. The dataset supports analyses of asynchronous diversification across the Cochise Filter Barrier, with divergence times estimated throughout the Quaternary and Neogene. Research by Edward A. Myers quantifies the roles of climate, geographical distance, and barriers in structuring genetic diversity.

Use Cases

• Perform redundancy analysis to assess the relative importance of climate, geographical distance, and barriers in explaining genetic variation across the 12 taxon pairs.
• Apply hierarchical approximate Bayesian computation (hABC) models to test for synchronicity in divergence times across the Cochise Filter Barrier.
• Estimate gene divergence and population divergence times for distinct Sonoran and Chihuahuan populations using multiple phylogenetic methods.
• Analyze phylogeographical structure within specific snake taxa such as Arizona elegans, Pituophis catenifer, and Lampropeltis getula.

Strengths

• Contains genetic data from 747 individual snake samples, providing a substantial sample size for population-level analysis.
• Focuses on 12 distinct snake taxon pairs, enabling comparative phylogeographical studies.
• Data is associated with a peer-reviewed study quantifying asynchronous diversification with strong statistical support.
• Released under a permissive CC0 1.0 public domain license, allowing unrestricted reuse.

Limitations

• The dataset is derived from a single-locus genetic study, which provides less resolution than multi-locus or genomic data for inferring population history.
• Specific column definitions, file formats, and raw data structure are not provided in the metadata, requiring user investigation.
• Geographic coverage is limited to North American warm deserts (Sonoran and Chihuahuan), limiting generalizability to other regions.

Provenance

Source

Dryad digital repository.

Collection Method

Genetic samples collected and analyzed for phylogeographical structure; methods include redundancy analysis and hierarchical approximate Bayesian computation.

Time Range

Divergence times estimated throughout the Quaternary and Neogene geological periods.

Freshness

Last updated on 2020-06-24.

Geography

North America, specifically the desert Southwest encompassing the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts and the Cochise Filter Barrier.