6533b7dcfe1ef96bd1272964
RESEARCH PRODUCT
On the origin and systematics of the northern African wood mouse (<i>Apodemus sylvaticus</i>) populations: a comparative study of mtDNA restriction patterns
Johan MichauxMaurizio SaràCéline MauroisRoland LiboisMaria Da Graça Ramalhinhosubject
SystematicsMitochondrial DNAbiologySettore BIO/05 - Zoologiavirus diseasesZoologyWoodmouserespiratory systembiology.organism_classificationMediterranean BasinWood mouseMediterranean areas mtDNA restriction patterns neighbour-joining tree Sicilian lineage anthropogenic introductionPhylogeneticsApodemusAnimal Science and ZoologyTaxonomy (biology)Ecology Evolution Behavior and SystematicsMuridaedescription
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 Moroccan animals (n = 18), caught either in the north of the country (Cap Spartel) or in the south (Marrakech). This implies that northern African wood mouse populations have a southwestern European origin and that their presence in the region is probably recent, which corresponds to both paleontological data and the hypothesis of anthropogenic introduction.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-01-01 | Canadian Journal of Zoology |