Abstract
Simple SummaryThe wild boar is native to the temperate region of Eurasia, which is now one of the most widely distributed mammals worldwide. The recent expansion in the wild boar population has attracted a lot of attention, which may cause great damage to ecosystems. Elucidating the patterns of the population structure, genetic diversity, population origin, and colonization route of wild boar is very helpful in the conservation and management of wild populations. Phylogeographic analysis has proven to be a powerful tool. Here, 82 samples of wild boars in 16 sampling locations were collected in Qinling Mountains (QM). Genetic analysis was conducted based on the mitochondrial control region and nuclear genes. The level of genetic diversity of wild boars in QM was lower than the total population in East Asia, but higher than European population. No obvious phylogeographic pattern were found. The effective population size was under demographic equilibrium in the past.Species dispersal patterns and population genetic structure can be influenced by geographical features. Qinling Mountains (QM) provide an excellent area for phylogeographic study. The phylogeography of Asian-wide wild boars revealed the colonization route. However, the impact of the QM on genetic diversity, genetic structure and population origin is still poorly understood. In this study, genetic analysis of wild boar in the QM was conducted based on the mitochondrial control region (943 bp) and twelve microsatellite loci of 82 individuals in 16 sampling locations. Overall genetic haplotype diversity was 0.86, and the nucleotide diversity was 0.0079. A total of 17 new haplotypes were detected. The level of genetic diversity of wild boars in QM was lower than in East Asia, but higher than in Europe. Phylogenetic analysis showed the weak genetic divergence in QM. Mismatch analysis, neutrality tests, and Bayesian Skyline Plot (BSP) results revealed that the estimates of effective population size were under demographic equilibrium in the past. Spatial analysis of molecular variance indicated no obvious phylogeographic structure.
Highlights
IntroductionThe Qinling Mountains (QM) are an important geographic and ecological barriers between northern and southern China, which were formed during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic periods extending over 1600 km from east to west in the southern Shaanxi province of China [1]
We infer that population admixture and the population history of founder effect played important roles in shaping the spatial genetic structure within wild boars in Qinling Mountains (QM)
Our results indicated that the genetic diversity of wild boars in both mitochondrial and microsatellite data of Qinling Mountains was moderate in East Asia, but higher than
Summary
The Qinling Mountains (QM) are an important geographic and ecological barriers between northern and southern China, which were formed during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic periods extending over 1600 km from east to west in the southern Shaanxi province of China [1]. With limited Late Pleistocene ice-cover, QM provides a good research area for assessing the effect of Pleistocene climatic fluctuations and geologic events on population genetic structure [2]. Many phylogeographical studies discovered that the QM probably served as both a major geographical and ecological barrier for plants and animals [5,6,7]. Some other results suggested that the QM have no obvious impact on genetic structure [8]
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