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Awadi A, Ben Slimen H, Smith S, Makni M, Suchentrunk F. Patterns of evolution in MHC class II DQA and DQB exon 2 genes of Alpine mountain hares, Lepus timidus varronis, and sympatric and parapatric brown hares, L. europaeus, from Switzerland. Immunogenetics 2024; 76:37-50. [PMID: 38114658 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-023-01328-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
In natural populations, hybridization is known to occur between a wide range of species. However, its evolutionary significance is less clear. Genes involved in fighting pathogens are considered excellent candidates for studying adaptive introgression, although both introgression and balancing selection can generate similar patterns of diversity and differentiation. Here, we compared DQA and DQB MHC class II and microsatellite allelic diversity of sympatric and parapatric mountain (Lepus timidus) and brown hare (L. europaeus) populations from Switzerland. We detected higher genetic diversity in brown hares compared to mountain hares at both MHC and microsatellite loci. We consider the observed patterns of microsatellite diversity both for L. europaeus and L. timidus as result of stochastic demographic processes while the pattern of MHC polymorphism of the studied hare populations can be explained by pathogen-driven selection. Rare bidirectional gene flow between both hare species seems to occur specifically for MHC alleles. However, the high number of shared alleles showing similar high frequency in both species suggests that reciprocally exchanged MHC alleles are being maintained via balancing selection. Adaptation to similar pathogen communities can also lead to parallel selection of MHC alleles. Positive selection, recombination and mutations have played different roles in shaping the patterns of MHC allelic diversity in and differentiation between both species. Results for the latter evolutionary forces do not show a better matching between the sympatric populations compared to the parapatric ones, suggesting a minor role of introgression for the observed evolutionary patterns of the studied hare species.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Awadi
- Laboratory of Functional Physiology and Valorization of Bioresources, Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Béja, University of Jendouba, Béja, 9000, Tunisia
| | - H Ben Slimen
- Laboratory of Functional Physiology and Valorization of Bioresources, Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Béja, University of Jendouba, Béja, 9000, Tunisia.
| | - S Smith
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, Vienna, 1160, Austria
| | - M Makni
- Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, LR01ES05 Biochimie et Biotechnologie, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, 2092, Tunisia
| | - F Suchentrunk
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, Vienna, 1160, Austria
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Awadi A, Ben Slimen H, Schaschl H, Knauer F, Suchentrunk F. Positive selection on two mitochondrial coding genes and adaptation signals in hares (genus Lepus) from China. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:100. [PMID: 34039261 PMCID: PMC8157742 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01832-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal mitochondria play a central role in energy production in the cells through the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway. Recent studies of selection on different mitochondrial OXPHOS genes have revealed the adaptive implications of amino acid changes in these subunits. In hares, climatic variation and/or introgression were suggested to be at the origin of such adaptation. Here we looked for evidence of positive selection in three mitochondrial OXPHOS genes, using tests of selection, protein structure modelling and effects of amino acid substitutions on the protein function and stability. We also used statistical models to test for climate and introgression effects on sites under positive selection. RESULTS Our results revealed seven sites under positive selection in ND4 and three sites in Cytb. However, no sites under positive selection were observed in the COX1 gene. All three subunits presented a high number of codons under negative selection. Sites under positive selection were mapped on the tridimensional structure of the predicted models for the respective mitochondrial subunit. Of the ten amino acid replacements inferred to have evolved under positive selection for both subunits, six were located in the transmembrane domain. On the other hand, three codons were identified as sites lining proton translocation channels. Furthermore, four codons were identified as destabilizing with a significant variation of Δ vibrational entropy energy between wild and mutant type. Moreover, our PROVEAN analysis suggested that among all positively selected sites two fixed amino acid replacements altered the protein functioning. Our statistical models indicated significant effects of climate on the presence of ND4 and Cytb protein variants, but no effect by trans-specific mitochondrial DNA introgression, which is not uncommon in a number of hare species. CONCLUSIONS Positive selection was observed in several codons in two OXPHOS genes. We found that substitutions in the positively selected codons have structural and functional impacts on the encoded proteins. Our results are concordantly suggesting that adaptations have strongly affected the evolution of mtDNA of hare species with potential effects on the protein function. Environmental/climatic changes appear to be a major trigger of this adaptation, whereas trans-specific introgressive hybridization seems to play no major role for the occurrence of protein variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asma Awadi
- Laboratory of Functional Physiology and Valorization of Bioresources, Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Beja, University of Jendouba, Jendouba, Tunisia
| | - Hichem Ben Slimen
- Laboratory of Functional Physiology and Valorization of Bioresources, Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Beja, University of Jendouba, Jendouba, Tunisia
| | - Helmut Schaschl
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Felix Knauer
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Franz Suchentrunk
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria
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Boukhdoud L, Saliba C, Parker LD, Rotzel McInerney N, Ishak Mouawad G, Kharrat M, Kahale R, Chahine T, Maldonado JE, Bou Dagher-Kharrat M. First DNA sequence reference library for mammals and plants of the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Genome 2020; 64:39-49. [PMID: 33002384 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2019-0194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The Mediterranean region is identified as one of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots, with the Earth's most biologically rich yet threatened areas. Lebanon is a hub for Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) biodiversity with 9116 characterized plant and animal species (4486 fauna and 4630 flora). Using DNA barcoding as a tool has become crucial in the accurate identification of species in multiple contexts. It can also complement species morphological descriptions, which will add to our understanding of the biodiversity and richness of ecosystems and benefit conservation projects for endangered and endemic species. In this study, we create the first reference library of standard DNA markers for mammals and plants in the EMR, with a focus on endemic and endangered species. Plant leaves were collected from different nature reserves in Mount Lebanon, and mammal samples were obtained from taxidermized museum specimens or road kills. We generated the 12S rRNA sequences of 18 mammal species from 6 orders and 13 different families. We also obtained the trnL and rbcL barcode sequences of 52 plant species from 24 different families. Twenty-five plant species and two mammal species included in this study were sequenced for the first time using these markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliane Boukhdoud
- Laboratoire Biodiversité et Génomique Fonctionnelle, Faculté des Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph, Campus Sciences et Technologies, Mar Roukos, Mkalles, BP: 1514 Riad el Solh, Beirut 1107 2050, Lebanon
| | - Carole Saliba
- Laboratoire Biodiversité et Génomique Fonctionnelle, Faculté des Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph, Campus Sciences et Technologies, Mar Roukos, Mkalles, BP: 1514 Riad el Solh, Beirut 1107 2050, Lebanon
| | - Lillian D Parker
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Center for Conservation Genomics, National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA.,George Mason University, Department of Biosciences, School of Systems Biology, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
| | - Nancy Rotzel McInerney
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Center for Conservation Genomics, National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | - Ghiwa Ishak Mouawad
- Laboratoire Biodiversité et Génomique Fonctionnelle, Faculté des Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph, Campus Sciences et Technologies, Mar Roukos, Mkalles, BP: 1514 Riad el Solh, Beirut 1107 2050, Lebanon
| | - Mariane Kharrat
- Laboratoire Biodiversité et Génomique Fonctionnelle, Faculté des Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph, Campus Sciences et Technologies, Mar Roukos, Mkalles, BP: 1514 Riad el Solh, Beirut 1107 2050, Lebanon
| | - Rhea Kahale
- Laboratoire Biodiversité et Génomique Fonctionnelle, Faculté des Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph, Campus Sciences et Technologies, Mar Roukos, Mkalles, BP: 1514 Riad el Solh, Beirut 1107 2050, Lebanon
| | - Tony Chahine
- Laboratoire Biodiversité et Génomique Fonctionnelle, Faculté des Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph, Campus Sciences et Technologies, Mar Roukos, Mkalles, BP: 1514 Riad el Solh, Beirut 1107 2050, Lebanon
| | - Jesús E Maldonado
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Center for Conservation Genomics, National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA.,George Mason University, Department of Biosciences, School of Systems Biology, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
| | - Magda Bou Dagher-Kharrat
- Laboratoire Biodiversité et Génomique Fonctionnelle, Faculté des Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph, Campus Sciences et Technologies, Mar Roukos, Mkalles, BP: 1514 Riad el Solh, Beirut 1107 2050, Lebanon
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Spatial genetics of brown hares (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778) from Turkey: Different gene pool architecture on either side of the Bosphorus? Mamm Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2018.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Ben Slimen H, Awadi A, Tolesa ZG, Knauer F, Alves PC, Makni M, Suchentrunk F. Positive selection on the mitochondrial ATP synthase 6and the NADH dehydrogenase 2genes across 22 hare species (genus Lepus). J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hichem Ben Slimen
- Unité de recherche Génomique des Insectes ravageurs des Cultures d'intérêt agronomique; Faculty of Sciences of Tunis; University of Tunis El Manar; Tunis Tunisia
- Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Béja; University of Jendouba; Béja Tunisia
| | - Asma Awadi
- Unité de recherche Génomique des Insectes ravageurs des Cultures d'intérêt agronomique; Faculty of Sciences of Tunis; University of Tunis El Manar; Tunis Tunisia
| | | | - Felix Knauer
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology; University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Paulo Célio Alves
- CIBIO; Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos; Universidade do Porto; Vairão Portugal
| | - Mohamed Makni
- Unité de recherche Génomique des Insectes ravageurs des Cultures d'intérêt agronomique; Faculty of Sciences of Tunis; University of Tunis El Manar; Tunis Tunisia
| | - Franz Suchentrunk
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology; University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna; Vienna Austria
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Tolesa Z, Bekele E, Tesfaye K, Ben Slimen H, Valqui J, Getahun A, Hartl GB, Suchentrunk F. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA reveals reticulate evolution in hares (Lepus spp., Lagomorpha, Mammalia) from Ethiopia. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0180137. [PMID: 28767659 PMCID: PMC5540492 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
For hares (Lepus spp., Leporidae, Lagomorpha, Mammalia) from Ethiopia no conclusive molecular phylogenetic data are available. To provide a first molecular phylogenetic model for the Abyssinian Hare (Lepus habessinicus), the Ethiopian Hare (L. fagani), and the Ethiopian Highland Hare (L. starcki) and their evolutionary relationships to hares from Africa, Eurasia, and North America, we phylogenetically analysed mitochondrial ATPase subunit 6 (ATP6; n = 153 / 416bp) and nuclear transferrin (TF; n = 155 / 434bp) sequences of phenotypically determined individuals. For the hares from Ethiopia, genotype composition at twelve microsatellite loci (n = 107) was used to explore both interspecific gene pool separation and levels of current hybridization, as has been observed in some other Lepus species. For phylogenetic analyses ATP6 and TF sequences of Lepus species from South and North Africa (L. capensis, L. saxatilis), the Anatolian peninsula and Europe (L. europaeus, L. timidus) were also produced and additional TF sequences of 18 Lepus species retrieved from GenBank were included as well. Median joining networks, neighbour joining, maximum likelihood analyses, as well as Bayesian inference resulted in similar models of evolution of the three species from Ethiopia for the ATP6 and TF sequences, respectively. The Ethiopian species are, however, not monophyletic, with signatures of contemporary uni- and bidirectional mitochondrial introgression and/ or shared ancestral polymorphism. Lepus habessinicus carries mtDNA distinct from South African L. capensis and North African L. capensis sensu lato; that finding is not in line with earlier suggestions of its conspecificity with L. capensis. Lepus starcki has mtDNA distinct from L. capensis and L. europaeus, which is not in line with earlier suggestions to include it either in L. capensis or L. europaeus. Lepus fagani shares mitochondrial haplotypes with the other two species from Ethiopia, despite its distinct phenotypic and microsatellite differences; moreover, it is not represented by a species-specific mitochondrial haplogroup, suggesting considerable mitochondrial capture by the other species from Ethiopia or species from other parts of Africa. Both mitochondrial and nuclear sequences indicate close phylogenetic relationships among all three Lepus species from Ethiopia, with L. fagani being surprisingly tightly connected to L. habessinicus. TF sequences suggest close evolutionary relationships between the three Ethiopian species and Cape hares from South and North Africa; they further suggest that hares from Ethiopia hold a position ancestral to many Eurasian and North American species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zelalem Tolesa
- Department of Biology, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia
- Zoologisches Institut, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Endashaw Bekele
- Department of Microbial, Cellular, and Molecular Biology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Kassahun Tesfaye
- Department of Microbial, Cellular, and Molecular Biology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Centre of Biotechnology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Hichem Ben Slimen
- Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Béja, Avenue Habib Bourguiba, Béja, Tunisia
| | - Juan Valqui
- Zoologisches Institut, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Abebe Getahun
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Günther B. Hartl
- Zoologisches Institut, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Franz Suchentrunk
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Awadi A, Suchentrunk F, Makni M, Ben Slimen H. Variation of partial transferrin sequences and phylogenetic relationships among hares (Lepus capensis, Lagomorpha) from Tunisia. Genetica 2016; 144:497-512. [PMID: 27485731 DOI: 10.1007/s10709-016-9916-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
North African hares are currently included in cape hares, Lepus capensis sensu lato, a taxon that may be considered a superspecies or a complex of closely related species. The existing molecular data, however, are not unequivocal, with mtDNA control region sequences suggesting a separate species status and nuclear loci (allozymes, microsatellites) revealing conspecificity of L. capensis and L. europaeus. Here, we study sequence variation in the intron 6 (468 bp) of the transferrin nuclear gene, of 105 hares with different coat colour from different regions in Tunisia with respect to genetic diversity and differentiation, as well as their phylogenetic status. Forty-six haplotypes (alleles) were revealed and compared phylogenetically to all available TF haplotypes of various Lepus species retrieved from GenBank. Maximum Likelihood, neighbor joining and median joining network analyses concordantly grouped all currently obtained haplotypes together with haplotypes belonging to six different Chinese hare species and the African scrub hare L. saxatilis. Moreover, two Tunisian haploypes were shared with L. capensis, L timidus, L. sinensis, L. yarkandensis, and L. hainanus from China. These results indicated the evolutionary complexity of the genus Lepus with the mixing of nuclear gene haplotypes resulting from introgressive hybridization or/and shared ancestral polymorphism. We report the presence of shared ancestral polymorphism between North African and Chinese hares. This has not been detected earlier in the mtDNA sequences of the same individuals. Genetic diversity of the TF sequences from the Tunisian populations was relatively high compared to other hare populations. However, genetic differentiation and gene flow analyses (AMOVA, FST, Nm) indicated little divergence with the absence of geographically meaningful phylogroups and lack of clustering with coat colour types. These results confirm the presence of a single hare species in Tunisia, but a sound inference on its phylogenetic position would require additional nuclear markers and numerous geographically meaningful samples from Africa and Eurasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asma Awadi
- Unité de recherche Génomique des Insectes ravageurs des Cultures d'intérêt agronomique, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.
| | - Franz Suchentrunk
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mohamed Makni
- Unité de recherche Génomique des Insectes ravageurs des Cultures d'intérêt agronomique, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Hichem Ben Slimen
- Unité de recherche Génomique des Insectes ravageurs des Cultures d'intérêt agronomique, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
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Species inflation and taxonomic artefacts—A critical comment on recent trends in mammalian classification. Mamm Biol 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2012.07.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Canu A, Suchentrunk F, Cossu A, Foddai R, Iacolina L, Ben Slimen H, Apollonio M, Scandura M. Differentiation under isolation and genetic structure of Sardinian hares as revealed by craniometric analysis, mitochondrial DNA and microsatellites. J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0469.2012.00671.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Zachos FE, Ben Slimen H, Hackländer K, Giacometti M, Suchentrunk F. Regional genetic
in situ
differentiation despite phylogenetic heterogeneity in Alpine mountain hares. J Zool (1987) 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2010.00710.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- F. E. Zachos
- Zoological Institute, Christian‐Albrechts‐University, Kiel, Germany
| | - H. Ben Slimen
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Immunologie et Biotechnologie, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Campus Universitaire El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - K. Hackländer
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - F. Suchentrunk
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
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PROST S, KNAPP M, FLEMMIG J, HUFTHAMMER AK, KOSINTSEV P, STILLER M, HOFREITER M. SHORT COMMUNICATION: A phantom extinction? New insights into extinction dynamics of the Don-hare Lepus tanaiticus. J Evol Biol 2010; 23:2022-9. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02062.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Mamuris Z, Moutou KA, Stamatis C, Sarafidou T, Suchentrunk F. Y DNA and mitochondrial lineages in European and Asian populations of the brown hare (Lepus europaeus). Mamm Biol 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2009.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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