Abstract
We used genetic tools to assess phylogeographic structure of the common dormouse (Muscardinus avellenarius) since the end of the last glacial maximum, to identify post-glacial dispersal routes and to describe population units for conservation. Comparative analysis of mitochondrial genes (Cytochrome b 704 bp, D-loop, 506 bp) and one nuclear gene (Beta-Fibrinogen, 550 bp) was conducted to reconstruct the recent demographic history within and between UK and Continental European populations. Our analysis indicated phylogeographic variation similar in magnitude to that found in other regions of Continental Europe and suggests a recent population expansion. We present evidence which supports a single post-glacial colonization into the UK. Dispersal time calculations, calibrated with geophysical events, are coincident with the start of the Holocene period, 7.5-11 kya, a time when geological evidence suggests temperatures were stable, woodland habitat was prevalent and a land bridge was present to allow the dispersal of small mammals into the UK. We discuss our findings in the context of the extant geographical genetic structure described here and in relation to conservation management of this threatened species.
Highlights
The phylogeographic structure of many species within the Northern hemisphere is thought to have been shaped by climatic changes and glacial episodes 126–25 kya, during the Late Pleistocene (Webb and Bartlein, 1992; Hewitt, 2004)
We found a total of five haplotypes, four of which are unique to known European haplotypes, and all 704 positions were parsimony informative
Haplotype diversity we found was similar to that reported in continental Europe (UK 0.727 ± 0.052, EU 0.786 ± 0.096)
Summary
The phylogeographic structure of many species within the Northern hemisphere is thought to have been shaped by climatic changes and glacial episodes 126–25 kya, during the Late Pleistocene (Webb and Bartlein, 1992; Hewitt, 2004). This period was characterized by extreme climatic fluctuations, which had a major role in shaping contemporary biogeography (Emerson and Hewitt, 2005). A modern approach to investigate the evolutionary history of species is to interpret molecular phylogenetic data in the context of climatic and environmental changes (Franks and Hoffmann, 2012).
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