Genomic Divergence and Variation in Developmental Plasticity Across Inselberg Populations of a Tropical Frog
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Biological Sciences University of Los Andes Bogotá Colombia
- 2Ecology, Evolution, and Development Group Doñana Biological Station, CSIC Seville Spain
- 3New York University Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi UAE
- 4Calima, Fundación para la Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Conservación en el Trópico Cali Colombia
- 5School of Engineering Unidad Central del Valle del Cauca Tuluá Colombia
- 6Department of Ecology and Evolution Doñana Biological Station, CSIC Seville Spain
Abstract
Understanding how phenotypic plasticity and local specialization are shaped by gene flow and environmental heterogeneity requires natural systems that vary in both spatial isolation and environmental conditions across the landscape, yet such systems are uncommon. Naturally discontinuous inselbergs may provide this opportunity. Here, using populations of the inselberg‐specialist frog Leptodactylus lithonaetes , we evaluated whether habitat discontinuity translates into restricted gene flow and genetic structure and then tested how variation in connectivity and environmental heterogeneity shapes the balance between phenotypic plasticity and local specialization. We predicted that populations with higher environmental heterogeneity and higher gene flow would evolve plasticity in growth and development, whereas populations in more homogeneous environments and more genetically isolated would exhibit reduced plasticity and increased specialization. Using > 11,000 SNPs, we showed that the apparent habitat discontinuity among nine inselbergs spanning 300 km was reflected in a strong population structure and varying levels of gene flow among inselbergs, in an isolation‐by‐distance pattern. We then tested whether tadpoles alter their size or timing at metamorphosis to pond‐drying risk, and whether these plastic responses vary among populations with environmental heterogeneity (seasonality). Although tadpoles did not plastically accelerate metamorphosis under pond‐drying risk, the magnitude of body mass reduction under desiccation stress differed among populations, indicating developmental plasticity in body mass. Northern localities, exposed to greater environmental heterogeneity, showed greater survival and less body weight loss, resulting in higher tolerance to environmental stress than southern localities. Even in the absence of developmental acceleration, population‐level variation in responses to environmental stress is congruent with reduced plasticity, or increased specialization, in isolated populations exposed to less heterogeneous environments.
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BibTeX
@article{delgadillomendez2026genomic,
title = {{Genomic Divergence and Variation in Developmental Plasticity Across Inselberg Populations of a Tropical Frog}},
author = {Alexandra Delgadillo‐Méndez and Gabriel Mochales‐Riaño and Javier Méndez‐Narváez and Catalina González‐Arango and Joaquín Ortego and Ivan Gomez‐Mestre},
journal = {Molecular Ecology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1111/mec.70621},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.70621},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Genomic Divergence and Variation in Developmental Plasticity Across Inselberg Populations of a Tropical Frog
AU - Alexandra Delgadillo‐Méndez
AU - Gabriel Mochales‐Riaño
AU - Javier Méndez‐Narváez
AU - Catalina González‐Arango
AU - Joaquín Ortego
AU - Ivan Gomez‐Mestre
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Molecular Ecology
DO - 10.1111/mec.70621
UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.70621
AB - Understanding how phenotypic plasticity and local specialization are shaped by gene flow and environmental heterogeneity requires natural systems that vary in both spatial isolation and environmental conditions across the landscape, yet such systems are uncommon. Naturally discontinuous inselbergs may provide this opportunity. Here, using populations of the inselberg‐specialist frog Leptodactylus lithonaetes , we evaluated whether habitat discontinuity translates into restricted gene flow and genetic structure and then tested how variation in connectivity and environmental heterogeneity shapes the balance between phenotypic plasticity and local specialization. We predicted that populations with higher environmental heterogeneity and higher gene flow would evolve plasticity in growth and development, whereas populations in more homogeneous environments and more genetically isolated would exhibit reduced plasticity and increased specialization. Using > 11,000 SNPs, we showed that the apparent habitat discontinuity among nine inselbergs spanning 300 km was reflected in a strong population structure and varying levels of gene flow among inselbergs, in an isolation‐by‐distance pattern. We then tested whether tadpoles alter their size or timing at metamorphosis to pond‐drying risk, and whether these plastic responses vary among populations with environmental heterogeneity (seasonality). Although tadpoles did not plastically accelerate metamorphosis under pond‐drying risk, the magnitude of body mass reduction under desiccation stress differed among populations, indicating developmental plasticity in body mass. Northern localities, exposed to greater environmental heterogeneity, showed greater survival and less body weight loss, resulting in higher tolerance to environmental stress than southern localities. Even in the absence of developmental acceleration, population‐level variation in responses to environmental stress is congruent with reduced plasticity, or increased specialization, in isolated populations exposed to less heterogeneous environments.
SN - 0962-1083
SN - 1365-294X
ER -