Evidence of a complex phylogeographic structure in the common dormouse,Muscardinus avellanarius (Rodentia: Gliridae) |
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| Authors: | ALICE MOUTON ANDREA GRILL MAURIZIO SARA BORIS KRYŠTUFEK ETTORE RANDI GIOVANNI AMORI RIMVYDAS JUŠKAITIS GAETANO ALOISE ALESSIO MORTELLITI FABIANA PANCHETTI JOHAN MICHAUX |
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| Institution: | 1. Institut de Botanique, Batiment?22, Université de Liège (Sart Tilman), Boulevard du Rectorat?27, 4000 Liège, Belgium;2. Institut Biodiversit?t der Tiere, Universit?t Wien, Rennweg?14, 1030 Vienna Austria;3. Dipartimento Biologia Ambientale e Biodiversità, Laboratorio di Zoogeografia ed Ecologia Animale,Via Archirafi?18, 90123 Palermo;4. Science and Research Centre, University of Primorska, Garibaldijeva?1, SI‐5000 Koper, Slovenia;5. ISPRA ex INFS, Ozzano Emilia, Bologna, Italy;6. CNR, Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Via A.?Borelli?50, 00161 Rome, Italy;7. Institute of Ecology of Nature Research Centre, Akademijos?2, LT‐08412 Vilnius, Lithuania;8. Museo di Storia Naturale della Calabria e Orto Botanico, Via P.?Bucci s.n., Rende (Cosenza), Italy;9. Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell'Uomo, Università‘La Sapienza’ Viale dell'Università?32, 00185, Roma, Italy;10. Dipartimento di Biologia, Università‘Roma Tre’, Viale Guglielmo Marconi?446, 00146, Roma, Italy;11. CBGP, INRA, UMR 1064, Campus international de Baillarguet, CS30016, F‐34988 Montferrier sur Lez cedex, France |
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| Abstract: | This is the first mitochondrial phylogeography of the common dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius (Linnaeus, 1758), a hibernating rodent strictly protected in Europe (Habitat Directive, annex IV; Bern Convention, annex III). The 84 individuals of M. avellanarius, sampled throughout the distributional range of the species, have been sequenced at the mitochondrial DNA gene (cytochrome b, 704 base pairs). The results revealed two highly divergent lineages, with an ancient separation around 7.7 Mya and a genetic divergence of 7.7%. Lineage 1 occurs in Western Europe (France, Belgium, and Switzerland) and Italy, and lineage 2 occurs in Central–Northern Europe (Poland, Germany, Latvia, and Lithuania), on the Balkan Peninsula, and in Turkey. Furthermore, these two lineages are subdivided into five sublineages genetically isolated with a strong geographical association. Therefore, lineage 1 branches into two further sublineages (Western European and Italian), whereas lineage 2 contained three sublineages (Central–Northern European, Turkish, and Balkan). We observed low genetic diversity within the sublineages, in contrast to the significant level of genetic differentiation between them. The understanding of genetic population structure is essential for identifying units to be conserved. Therefore, these results may have important implications for M. avellanarius conservation. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 105 , 648–664. |
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| Keywords: | conservation cytochrome b Europe glacial refugia |
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