0000000000248458
AUTHOR
Johan Michaux
Evolutionary history and species delimitations:a case study of the hazel dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius
Robust identification of species and significant evolutionary units (ESUs) is essential to implement appropriate conservation strategies for endangered species. However, definitions of species or ESUs are numerous and sometimes controversial, which might lead to biased conclusions, with serious consequences for the management of endangered species. The hazel dormouse, an arboreal rodent of conservation concern throughout Europe is an ideal model species to investigate the relevance of species identification for conservation purposes. This species is a member of the Gliridae family, which is protected in Europe and seriously threatened in the northern part of its range. We assessed the exten…
Genetic structure of a European forest species, the edible dormouse ( Glis glis ): a consequence of past anthropogenic forest fragmentation?
International audience; The genetic structure of forest animal species may allow the spatial dynamics of the forests themselves to be tracked. Two scales of change are commonly discussed: changes in forest distribution during the Quaternary, due to glacial/interglacial cycles, and current fragmentation related to habitat destruction. However, anthropogenic changes in forest distribution may have started well before the Quaternary, causing fragmentation at an intermediate time scale that is seldom considered. To explore the relative role of these processes, the genetic structure of a forest species with narrow ecological preferences, the edible dormouse (Glis glis), was investigated in a set…
Mitochondrial phylogeography of the edible dormouse (Glis glis) in the western Palearctic region
International audience; This study describes in detail the phylogeoraphic pattern Of the edible dormouse (Glis glis) a European rodent With pronounced hibernating behavior We Used sequences of 831 base pairs of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome-b gene from 130 edible dormice collected at 43 localities (throughout Its distribution. Our results reveal presence of 3 main haplogroups: Sicilian, South Italian (restricted to the Calabrian region) (a widespread lineage corresponding to all remaining western, central. and eastern European populations). Examination of paleontological data confirms refugial regions for G,Its in the 3 Mediterranean peninsulas, although overall low genetic diversity is …
On the origin and systematics of the northern African wood mouse (<i>Apodemus sylvaticus</i>) populations: a comparative study of mtDNA restriction patterns
Conflicting hypotheses have been formulated regarding the origin of wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) populations in northern Africa. In this study, the mtDNA restriction patterns of mice (n = 28) collected in Tunisia and Morocco are compared with those of representatives from southern Europe (n = 102). The neighbour-joining tree confirms the existence of the three lineages previously found in the Mediterranean area: western, TyrrhenianBalkan, and Sicilian. The western group is isolated from the two others, with bootstrap values of 89 and 95%. Northern African patterns are included in the western group. Their variability is low, the same pattern being shared by five Tunisian and all Morocca…
Evidence of a complex phylogeographic structure in the common dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius (Rodentia: Gliridae)
Contact: amouton@ulg.ac.be; International audience; 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 CentralNor…
Evidence of a highly complex phylogeographic structure on a specialist river bird species, the dipper (Cinclus cinclus)
This study details the phylogeographic pattern of the white-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus), a Palearctic, temperate, passerine bird that is exclusively associated with flowing water. Our results reveal a complex phylogeographic structure with at least five distinct lineages for the Western Palearctic region. As for many species of the Western Palearctic fauna and flora, this genetic structure is probably linked to the isolation of populations in different southern refuges during glacial periods. Furthermore, the isolation of populations in Scandinavia and/or Eastern regions, but also in Morocco and probably in Corsica, was accentuated by ecological and biogeographic barriers during Quate…