Abstract
BackgroundComparative phylogeography links historical population processes to current/ecological processes through congruent/incongruent patterns of genetic variation among species/lineages. Despite high biodiversity, India lacks a phylogeographic paradigm due to limited comparative studies. We compared the phylogenetic patterns of Indian populations of jungle cat (Felis chaus) and leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). Given similarities in their distribution within India, evolutionary histories, body size and habits, congruent patterns of genetic variation were expected.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe collected scats from various biogeographic zones in India and analyzed mtDNA from 55 jungle cats (460 bp NADH5, 141 bp cytochrome b) and 40 leopard cats (362 bp NADH5, 202 bp cytochrome b). Jungle cats revealed high genetic variation, relatively low population structure and demographic expansion around the mid-Pleistocene. In contrast, leopard cats revealed lower genetic variation and high population structure with a F ST of 0.86 between North and South Indian populations. Niche-model analyses using two approaches (BIOCLIM and MaxEnt) support absence of leopard cats from Central India, indicating a climate associated barrier. We hypothesize that high summer temperatures limit leopard cat distribution and that a rise in temperature in the peninsular region of India during the LGM caused the split in leopard cat population in India.Conclusions/SignificanceOur results indicate that ecological variables describing a species range can predict genetic patterns. Our study has also resolved the confusion over the distribution of the leopard cat in India. The reciprocally monophyletic island population in the South mandates conservation attention.
Highlights
Populations of the same species living in different environments are expected to show geographic variation in genotype and phenotype
None of the other maps of climatic variables explained the distribution pattern as well. Given their recent evolutionary history, broad distribution, vagile nature, and relatively similar ecologies, we expected that leopard cats and jungle cats would have similar patterns of genetic variation across the Indian subcontinent
Our analyses revealed a stark difference in genetic variation and population structure between the two species
Summary
Populations of the same species living in different environments are expected to show geographic variation in genotype and phenotype. While many phylogeographic studies focus on single species, comparative phylogeography aims to elucidate the history and physiography of a region [1,2] It provides a deeper understanding of evolutionary and biogeographic processes through comparisons of congruent/ incongruent patterns of distribution of variation among species and lineages [3,4]. Current phylogeographic patterns for many taxa in that region can be explained through range contractions into refugia (extinctions/vicariance) and post-glaciation dispersal/re-colonization events from these refugia [4,5] Geographical barriers such as mountain chains and rivers further explain local patterns for some taxa [6]. We compared the phylogenetic patterns of Indian populations of jungle cat (Felis chaus) and leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) Given similarities in their distribution within India, evolutionary histories, body size and habits, congruent patterns of genetic variation were expected
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