Phylogeography of subspecies of the sable (Martes zibellina L.) based on mitochondrial genomes: implications for evolutionary history

Abstract

Phylogeography of the sable is complicated by mass reintroductions that occurred in some areas of Russia from 1940 to 1970. We assessed phylogeny of the sable by sequence analysis of 75 mitogenome haplotypes, including 63 newly sequenced specimens from aboriginal populations. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the sable exhibited absence of phylogeographical structure across Eurasia with the exception of ‘partially monophyletic lineage’ in the Changbai Mountains (M. z. hamgyenensis) and on Kamchatka Peninsula (M. z. kamtschadalica), and two terminal sharing haplotypes occurred in two long-range subspecies. This may be the result of multiple factors, including ‘secondary contact’, anthropogenic translocation and the opportunity for long-distance movement. At the same time, M. z. hamgyenensis lacked recent demographic expansion and survived with a stable population size during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Combining partially monophyletic lineage, we suggested that the region was a glacial refugia for the species. Considering the geographic distribution and the genetic diversity of sable subspecies, M. z. obscura may be regarded as central and M. z. yeniseensis, M. z. princeps, M. z. linkouensis, M. z. zibellina and M. z. arsenjevi as marginal. M. z. hamgyenensis, M. z. kamtschadalica and M. z. brachyura are categorized as a boundary. The species showed a reduced trend from central to peripheral in genetic diversity. Based on the time to most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) and the Bayesian skyline plots (BSPs) analysis of M. zibellina, the Middle and Late Pleistocene climatic conditions played an important role in phylogenetic differentiation of the sable mitochondrial gene pool. The sable populations experienced a bottleneck during the penultimate glacial maximum (PGM) rather than during the LGM. An expansion of the population continued during the transition from the middle of the Karginian to the Sartanian times, including slow expansion during the LGM. With the rise of postglacial temperatures, a rapid decline of sable populations could be associated with hunting by humans.