Genus-level phylogeny of snakes reveals the origins of species richness in Sri LankaR Alexander Pyron
Dept of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, 2023 G St, NW, Washington, DC 20052, United States
Mol Phylogenet Evol 66:969-78. 2013
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- Trait-dependent diversification and the impact of palaeontological data on evolutionary hypothesis testing in New World ratsnakes (tribe Lampropeltini)
R A Pyron
Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
J Evol Biol 25:497-508. 2012
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- Extinction, ecological opportunity, and the origins of global snake diversity
R Alexander Pyron
Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, 2023 G St NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
Evolution 66:163-78. 2012
..We suggest that clade-level extinction may provide a key mechanism for explaining negative or hump-shaped relationships between clade age and diversity, and the prevalence of ancient, species-poor lineages in numerous groups...
- A large-scale phylogeny of Amphibia including over 2800 species, and a revised classification of extant frogs, salamanders, and caecilians
R Alexander Pyron
Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, 2023 G St NW, Washington, DC 20052, United States
Mol Phylogenet Evol 61:543-83. 2011
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- Divergence time estimation using fossils as terminal taxa and the origins of Lissamphibia
R Alexander Pyron
Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794 5245, USA
Syst Biol 60:466-81. 2011
..These results suggest that the application of fossils as minima or maxima on molecular phylogenies should be supplemented or supplanted by combined evidence analyses whenever possible...
- The phylogeny of advanced snakes (Colubroidea), with discovery of a new subfamily and comparison of support methods for likelihood trees
R Alexander Pyron
Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794 5245, USA
Mol Phylogenet Evol 58:329-42. 2011
..Our study provides the most comprehensive phylogeny of Colubroidea to date, and suggests that SHL values may provide a useful complement to bootstrapping for estimating support on likelihood-based trees...
- Phylogenetic origins of local-scale diversity patterns and the causes of Amazonian megadiversity
John J Wiens
Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794 5245, USA
Ecol Lett 14:643-52. 2011
..Specifically, sympatry between clades seems to slow diversification and trait evolution, but prevents neither the accumulation of local richness over time nor the co-occurrence of similar species...
- A likelihood method for assessing molecular divergence time estimates and the placement of fossil calibrations
R Alexander Pyron
The Graduate School and University Center, The City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
Syst Biol 59:185-94. 2010
..The method is illustrated with an example using an expanded phylogenetic estimate of the Gnathostomata, inferred with relaxed-clock molecular dating methods...
- Evolutionary and biogeographic origins of high tropical diversity in old world frogs (Ranidae)
John J Wiens
Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
Evolution 63:1217-31. 2009
..Instead, these results show the importance of historical biogeography in explaining high species richness in both the New World and Old World tropics...
- How does ecological opportunity influence rates of speciation, extinction, and morphological diversification in New World ratsnakes (tribe Lampropeltini)?
Frank T Burbrink
Department of Biology, The Graduate School and University Center, The City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10016, USA
Evolution 64:934-43. 2010
..This evidence runs counter to the general Pleistocene species pump model...
- Body size as a primary determinant of ecomorphological diversification and the evolution of mimicry in the lampropeltinine snakes (Serpentes: Colubridae)
R Alexander Pyron
Department of Biology, The Graduate School and University Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA
J Evol Biol 22:2057-67. 2009
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- The impact of gene-tree/species-tree discordance on diversification-rate estimation
Frank T Burbrink
Department of Biology, The College of Staten Island, The City University of New York, Staten Island, New York 10314, USA
Evolution 65:1851-61. 2011
..This is corroborated with an empirical dataset of North American fence lizards (Sceloporus)...
The taming of the skew: estimating proper confidence intervals for divergence datesFrank T Burbrink
The College of Staten Island/CUNY, Department of Biology, 6S-143, 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA
Syst Biol 57:317-28. 2008
Evidence for determinism in species diversification and contingency in phenotypic evolution during adaptive radiationFrank T Burbrink
Department of Biology, The College of Staten Island, The City University of New York, 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA
Proc Biol Sci 279:4817-26. 2012
..It also suggests that processes of phenotypic diversification cannot be predicted solely from the existence of an AR or knowledge of the process of diversification...
- Claims of potential expansion throughout the U.S. by invasive python species are contradicted by ecological niche models
R Alexander Pyron
Department of Biology, The Graduate School and University Center, The City University of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
PLoS ONE 3:e2931. 2008
..However, the ecological limitations of the Burmese python are not known and the possible effects of global warming on the potential expansion of the species are also unclear...
