Abstract
The white wagtail (Motacilla alba) species complex with its distinctive plumage in separate geographical areas can serve as a model to test evolutionary hypotheses. Its extensive variety in plumage, despite the genetic similarity between taxa, and the evolutionary events connected to this variety are poorly understood. Therefore we sampled in the breeding range of the white wagtail: 338 individuals were analyzed from 74 areas in the Palearctic and Mediterranean. We studied the white wagtail complex based on two mitochondrial DNA markers to make inferences about the evolutionary history. Our phylogenetic trees highlight mtDNA sequences (ND2, CR), and one nuclear marker (CHD1Z), which partly correspond to earlier described clades: the northern Palearctic (clade N); eastern and central Asia (clade SE); south-western Asia west to the British Isles (clade SW); and Morocco (clade M). The divergence of all clades occurred during the Pleistocene. We also used ecological niche modelling for three genetic lineages (excluding clade M); results showed congruence between niche and phylogenetic divergence in these clades. The results of the white wagtail ancestral area reconstruction showed the influence of dispersal on the distribution and divergence of this complex species. The most important vicariance event for the white wagtail complex may have been caused by the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts. We conclude that the ancestral area of the white wagtail complex was probably in the Mediterranean, with its geography having a considerable effect on speciation processes.
Highlights
The primary function of the Pleistocene in shaping the phylogeographic patterns of many birds has been recognised (Avise, 1998)
The haplotype network showed that clade M is separated from the rest of the clades by 27 steps, while clades: the northern Palearctic (clade N) is separated from SE by five steps and clade SE from SW by seven steps
The mismatch distribution of the N and SW clades was unimodal, whereas it was bimodal for clade SE, which occurred after the addition of the Iranian samples
Summary
The primary function of the Pleistocene in shaping the phylogeographic patterns of many birds has been recognised (Avise, 1998). Relict populations remained alive and the Mediterranean zone was a shelter for species to persist in (Taberlet et al, 1998; Hewitt, 2000, 2004) and later recolonized the Northern Hemisphere (Tzedakis et al, 2002; Petit et al, 2003), shaping the phylogeographic patterns of many species (Médail & Diadema, 2009). The white wagtail has attracted considerable attention b ecause of genetic similarity among taxa despite a variety in plumage, and many different opinions have been presented to explain the morphological divergence occurring in this species complex. Stepanyan (2003) considered M. personata, M. lugens, and M. alba to be different species. Ödeen (2001) by comparing two mitochondrial DNA sequences, introduced two subspecies groups, alba and alboides, for this complex. Pavlova et al (2005) showed a clear incongruence between molecular and morphological results They suggested a single species for the species complex of M. alba
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