Genetic isolation by distance underlies colour pattern divergence in red-eyed treefrogs (Agalychnis callidryas)

Investigating the spatial distribution of genetic and phenotypic variation can provide insights into the evolutionary processes that shape diversity in natural systems. We characterized patterns of genetic and phenotypic diversity to learn about drivers of colour-pattern diversification in red-eyed treefrogs (Agalychnis callidryas) in Costa Rica. Along the Pacific coast, red-eyed treefrogs have conspicuous leg colour patterning that transitions from orange in the north to purple in the south. We measured phenotypic variation of frogs, with increased sampling at sites where the orange-to-purple transition occurs. At the transition zone, we discovered the co-occurrence of multiple colour-pattern morphs. To explore possible causes of this variation, we generated a single nucleotide polymorphism data set to analyse population genetic structure, measure genetic diversity and infer the processes that mediate genotype-phenotype dynamics. We investigated how patterns of genetic relatedness correspond to individual measures of colour pattern along the coast, including testing for the role of hybridization in geographic regions where orange and purple phenotypic groups co-occur. We found no evidence that colour-pattern polymorphism in the transition zone arose through recent hybridization. Instead, a strong pattern of genetic isolation by distance indicates that colour-pattern variation was either retained through other processes such as ancestral colour polymorphisms or ancient secondary contact, or else it was generated by novel mutations. We found that phenotype changes along the Pacific coast more than would be expected based on genetic divergence and geographic distance alone. Combined, our results suggest the possibility of selective pressures acting on colour pattern at a small geographic scale.