Phylogeography ofKorean raccoon dogs: implications of peripheral isolation of a forest mammal inEastAsia

Abstract

AbstractTheKoreanPeninsula is a problematic place for tracing the evolutionary history of manyEastAsian species because of its location on the eastern edge of theEurasian continent. This peninsula probably experienced peripheral isolation as one of several possiblePleistocene refugia. Historical population fluctuations and peripatric speciation of vertebrates in theKoreanPeninsula are poorly understood. As an endemic species inEastAsia, the raccoon dogNyctereutes procyonoidesis an appropriate model for describing the evolutionary history of mammal species in theKoreanPeninsula. Therefore, we used mitochondrial cytochromebsequences of raccoon dogs fromKorea,Russia,China,Vietnam andJapan to test four hypotheses: (1) during glacial periods, a single contiguous refugium may have existed in north‐easternAsia that permitted genetic exchange between raccoon dogs fromKorea andJapan; (2) the presence of one large refugium did not permit gene flow between raccoon dogs inKorea andJapan; (3) several refugia existed on the north‐eastAsian mainland, one located in the southern part of theKoreanPeninsula, with some population movement toJapan; (4) the presence of several refugia, but no gene flow between the raccoon dogs ofKorea andJapan. Our results support the last hypothesis. Haplotype distributions indicate postglacial expansion of raccoon dogs in theKoreanPeninsula. Conspicuous genetic differences betweenJapanese and continental populations might be the result of limited gene flow after geographical isolation. This phylogeographical pattern shows the effect of peripheral isolation in theKoreanPeninsula, the southernmost refugium for raccoon dogs.