Convergent adaptive radiations in Madagascan and Asian ranid frogs reveal covariation between larval and adult traits

Recent studies have reported that independent adaptive radiations can lead to identical ecomorphs, Our phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondr ial DNA sequences here indicate that a major radiation of ranid frogs on Ma dagascar produced morphological, physiological. and developmental character s that are remarkably similar to those that independently evolved on the In dian subcontinent, We demonstrate further that, in several cases, adult and larval stages each evolved sets of characters which are not only convergen t between independent lineages, but also allowed both developmental stages to invade the same adaptive zone. It is likely that such covariations are p roduced by similar selective pressures on independent larval and adult char acters rather than by genetic or functional linkage. We briefly discuss why larval/adult covariations might constitute an important evolutionary pheno menon in species for which more than one developmental stage potentially ha s access to multiple environmental conditions.