DNA Barcoding and Demographic History of Peromyscus yucatanicus (Rodentia: Cricetidae) Endemic to the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Abstract

The Yucatan Peninsula (YP) is a biotic province located in southeastern Mexico, delimited mainly by climatic variables. One endemic species of the YP is the Yucatan deer mouse Peromyscus yucatanicus. It is considered a member of the P. mexicanus species group, but some morphological characters and habitat preferences separate it from them. Herein, the DNA barcoding identification of P. yucatanicus, intraspecific relationships, and the level of genetic differentiation among its geographical distribution were examined. Sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene were used for the phylogenetic, demographic history, and genetic structure analysis. In addition, an ecological niche model was built and transferred to 6000 years ago in order to explore the current and past environmental suitability of the species. Results showed that P. yucatanicus was monophyletic and its phylogenetic relationships unresolved. Intraspecific analyses showed signatures of a scenario of demographic stability followed by population growth, and three genetic haplogroups were identified. Paleontological, paleoclimate, and the results presented here are useful to hypothesize that P. yucatanicus likely diverged in the Pleistocene and invaded the south of YP after the Last Glacial Period with the arrival of the current vegetation in the late Pleistocene—early-middle Holocene, and its demographic population was stable during the remaining Holocene epoch with slight growth at the late-middle Holocene resulting in the major precipitation changes that provided more plant coverage.