Skull shape of a widely-distributed, endangered marsupial reveals little
evidence of local adaptation between fragmented populations
Abstract
The biogeographical distribution of diversity among populations of
threatened mammalian species is generally investigated through
population genetics. However, intraspecific phenotypic diversity is
rarely assessed beyond taxonomy-focused linear measurements or
qualitative descriptions. Here, we use a technique widely used in the
evolutionary sciences – geometric morphometrics – to characterize
shape diversity in the skull of an endangered marsupial, the northern
quoll, across its 5,000 km distribution range along the northern
Australian coast. Skull shape is a proxy of feeding, behaviour, and
phenotypic differentiation, allowing us to ask if populations can be
distinguished and if patterns of variation indicate adaptability to
changing environmental conditions. We analysed skull shape in 101
individuals across the four mainland populations and several islands. We
assessed the contribution of population, size, sex, rainfall,
temperature, and latitude/longitude to skull shape variation through
Principal Components, Procrustes ANOVA, and variation partitioning
analyses. Regardless of land area inhabited, northern quoll populations
harbour similar amounts of broadly overlapping skull shape variation.
Size predicted skull shape best, coinciding with braincase size
variation and differences in the cheekbone shape. Size-adjusted
population differences explained less variation with far smaller effect
sizes, relating to changes in insertion areas of masticatory muscles, as
well as the upper muzzle and incisor region. Climatic and geographic
variables contributed little or nothing. Strikingly, the vast majority
of shape variation - 76% - remained unexplained. Our results suggest a
uniform within-species scope for shape variation, possibly due to
phenotypic plasticity or allometric constraints. The lack of local
adaptation indicates that cross-breeding between populations will not
reduce local morphological skull (and probably general musculoskeletal)
adaptation because none exists. However, the potential for heritable
morphological variation (e.g. specialization to local diets) seems
exceedingly limited. We conclude that 3D geometric morphometrics can
provide a comprehensive, statistically rigorous phenomic contribution to
genetics-based conservation studies.