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Verzi DH, De Santi NA, Olivares AI, Morgan CC, Basso NG, Brook F. A new species of the highly polytypic South American rodent Ctenomys increases the diversity of the magellanicus clade. VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.3897/vz.73.e96656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
The subterranean rodent Ctenomys is the most polytypic South American mammal genus and one of the most speciose and rapidly diversifying mammal genera in the world. Its systematics is unstable due to the underlying accelerated diversification processes that give rise to evolutionary lineages at different stages of differentiation and to remarkable morphological homogeneity even among long-differentiated species. As a result, species boundaries are often difficult to define. Diversity of this genus in the coastal area of central Argentina has been extensively studied, with two independent lineages currently recognized while a distinct third population had not been previously detected. Through a phylogenetic analysis based on combined morphological and molecular evidence, Bayesian estimates of divergence times, and morphometric and morphological assessments, we recognize this third population as an independently evolving lineage. The new species, Ctenomys pulcersp. nov., is here described for both the living fauna and the fossil record of the Pampean region of central Argentina. According to phylogenetic results, Ctenomys pulcersp. nov. belongs to the essentially Patagonian magellanicus clade, and would have diverged from its sister species, Ctenomys bidaui, during the middle Pleistocene (ca. 0.4 Ma). Its current distribution in the fixed and semifixed dunes of the coastal Pampean region is assumed to represent a relict of a wider and continuous distribution of potentially suitable environments during the late Pleistocene. Ctenomys pulcersp. nov. occurs in a particularly fragile natural system subjected to profound disturbances caused by diverse anthropic actions and therefore measures for the conservation of its habitat will be indispensable.
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Austrich A, Tomasco IH, Mapelli FJ, Kittlein MJ, Cutrera AP, Mora MS. Appearances are deceptive: a cryptic lineage within the assumed distributional boundaries of Ctenomys talarum (Rodentia, Ctenomyidae). J Mammal 2023. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyac116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The coastal dunes of the southeast of Buenos Aires province, Argentina, present two different described species of tuco-tucos: Ctenomys talarum and C. australis. Formerly, C. talarum was subdivided into three subspecies (C. t. talarum, C. t. recessus, and C. t. occidentalis), mainly based on its geographic distribution and phenotypic variation in characters of external morphology (e.g., body size and pelage color). This study assesses the phylogenetic relationships of C. talarum, focusing on the populations at the western end of its coastal distribution (localities of Pehuen-Có and Sauce Grande), which have been previously identified as highly genetically divergent. In this regard, populations distributed throughout the range of the species were sampled. Complete DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1,140 bp), partial sequences of the mitochondrial D-loop region (426 bp), and partial sequences of the nuclear DNA intron 8 of the β-fibrinogen (about 870 bp) gene were used for the analyses. Phylogenetic inferences based on mitochondrial and nuclear markers were performed separately or combined to obtain a species tree. Populations distributed at the western end of the coastal dunes (between Pehuen-Có and Sauce Grande), previously assumed as C. talarum, were found to belong to an independent lineage relative to the other populations from the Pampas region. The average genetic distance between these two lineages is within the order of the genetic distances observed between different species of the genus. Also, our results show that this lineage of Ctenomys presents a high affinity with the magellanicus group, which is distributed further south, in Patagonia. In conclusion, tuco-tuco populations occurring in the coastal expanse between these two localities should be considered a possible distinct cryptic species, highly differentiated from C. talarum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ailin Austrich
- Departamento de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata , Dean Funes 3250, 3rd Floor, 7600 Mar del Plata , Argentina
| | - Ivanna Haydée Tomasco
- Departamento de Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República , Iguá 4225, Montevideo 11400 , Uruguay
| | - Fernando Javier Mapelli
- División Mastozoología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” CONICET , Angel Gallardo 470, Buenos Aires C1405DJR , Argentina
| | - Marcelo Javier Kittlein
- Departamento de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata , Dean Funes 3250, 3rd Floor, 7600 Mar del Plata , Argentina
| | - Ana Paula Cutrera
- Departamento de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata , Dean Funes 3250, 3rd Floor, 7600 Mar del Plata , Argentina
| | - Matías Sebastián Mora
- Departamento de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata , Dean Funes 3250, 3rd Floor, 7600 Mar del Plata , Argentina
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Carnovale CS, Fernández GP, Merino ML, Mora MS. Redefining the Distributional Boundaries and Phylogenetic Relationships for Ctenomids From Central Argentina. Front Genet 2021; 12:698134. [PMID: 34422000 PMCID: PMC8372524 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.698134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
With about 68 recognized living species, subterranean rodents of the genus Ctenomys are found in a multiplicity of habitats, from the dunes of the Atlantic coast to the Andes Mountains, including environments ranging from humid steppes of Pampas to the dry deserts of Chaco region. However, this genus needs an exhaustive reevaluation of its systematic and phylogenetic relationships regarding the different groups that compose it. This knowledge is essential to propose biodiversity conservation strategies both at species level and at higher hierarchical levels. In order to clarify the taxonomy and the recent evolutionary history from populations of Ctenomys in the Pampas region, Argentina, phylogenetic relationships among them were evaluated using mitochondrial DNA sequences: gene encoding cytochrome b protein (1,140 bp) and the non-coding D-loop region (434 bp). To infer the divergence times inside the Ctenomys clade, a Bayesian calibrate tree using fossil remains data from different families within Caviomorpha was performed at first. Secondly, that calibration data was used as priors in a new Bayesian phylogenetic inference within the genus Ctenomys. This phylogenetic tree emphasized on species currently distributed on the Pampas region, more precisely considering both the talarum and mendocinus groups. Bayesian inferences (BI) were integrated with the results of a Maximum Likelihood approach (ML). Based on these results, the distributional limits of the mendocinus and talarum groups appear to be related to the physiognomy of the Pampas region soils. On the other hand, the validity of C. pundti complex as a differentiated species of C. talarum is debated. According to previous evidence from morphological and chromosomal studies, these results show a very low divergence between those species that originally were classified within the talarum group. Mitochondrial DNA sequences from populations associated with these putative species have not recovered as reciprocal monophyletic groups in the phylogenetic analyses. In conclusion, C. talarum and C. pundti complex might be considered as the same biological species, or lineages going through a recent or incipient differentiation process. The results obtained in this study have important implications for conservation policies and practices, since both species are currently categorized as Vulnerable and Endangered, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Soledad Carnovale
- Centro de Bioinvestigaciones (CeBio), Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNNOBA-CICBA) / Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires CITNOBA (UNNOBA-CONICET), Pergamino, Argentina
| | - Gabriela Paula Fernández
- Centro de Bioinvestigaciones (CeBio), Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNNOBA-CICBA) / Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires CITNOBA (UNNOBA-CONICET), Pergamino, Argentina
| | - Mariano Lisandro Merino
- Centro de Bioinvestigaciones (CeBio), Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNNOBA-CICBA) / Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires CITNOBA (UNNOBA-CONICET), Pergamino, Argentina.,Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CICBA), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Matías Sebastián Mora
- Grupo de Investigación: Ecología y Genética de Poblaciones de Mamíferos, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP), Mar del Plata, Argentina
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Austrich A, Kittlein MJ, Mora MS, Mapelli FJ. Potential distribution models from two highly endemic species of subterranean rodents of Argentina: which environmental variables have better performance in highly specialized species? Mamm Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-021-00150-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Austrich A, Mora MS, Mapelli FJ, Fameli A, Kittlein MJ. Influences of landscape characteristics and historical barriers on the population genetic structure in the endangered sand-dune subterranean rodent Ctenomys australis. Genetica 2020; 148:149-164. [PMID: 32451787 DOI: 10.1007/s10709-020-00096-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the processes and patterns of local adaptation and migration involves an exhaustive knowledge of how landscape features and population distances shape the genetic variation at the geographical level. Ctenomys australis is an endangered subterranean rodent characterized by having a restricted geographic range immerse in a highly fragmented sand dune landscape in the Southeast of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. We use 13 microsatellite loci in a total of 194 individuals from 13 sampling sites to assess the dispersal patterns and population structure in the complete geographic range of this endemic species. Our analyses show that populations are highly structured with low rates of gene flow among them. Genetic differentiation among sampling sites was consistent with an isolation by distance pattern, however, an important fraction of the population differentiation was explained by natural barriers such as rivers and streams. Although the individuals were sampled at locations distanced from each other, we also use some landscape genetics approaches to evaluate the effects of landscape configuration on the genetic connectivity among populations. These analyses showed that the sand dune habitat availability (the most suitable habitat for the occupation of the species), was one of the main factors that explained the differentiation patterns of the different sampling sites located on both sides of the Quequén Salado River. Finally, habitat availability was directly associated with the width of the sand dune landscape in the Southeast of Buenos Aires province, finding the greatest genetic differentiation among the populations of the Northeast, where this landscape is narrower.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ailin Austrich
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC, CONICET),, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250, 3th Floor, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
| | - Matías S Mora
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC, CONICET),, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250, 3th Floor, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Fernando J Mapelli
- Grupo de Genética y Ecología Para la Conservación de la Biodiversidad, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", CONICET, Ángel Gallardo 470, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alberto Fameli
- Grupo de Genética y Ecología Para la Conservación de la Biodiversidad, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", CONICET, Ángel Gallardo 470, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marcelo J Kittlein
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC, CONICET),, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250, 3th Floor, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina
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Mora MS, Becerra F, Vassallo AI. An allometric analysis of sexual dimorphism in Ctenomys australis : integrating classic morphometry and functional performance in vivo. ZOOLOGY 2018; 127:27-39. [DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2018.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2016] [Revised: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Mapelli FJ, Mora MS, Lancia JP, Gómez Fernández MJ, Mirol PM, Kittlein MJ. Evolution and phylogenetic relationships in subterranean rodents of the Ctenomys mendocinus species complex: Effects of Late Quaternary landscape changes of Central Argentina. Mamm Biol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2017.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Mora MS, Mapelli FJ, López A, Gómez Fernández MJ, Mirol PM, Kittlein MJ. Landscape genetics in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys "chasiquensis" associated with highly disturbed habitats from the southeastern Pampas region, Argentina. Genetica 2017; 145:575-591. [PMID: 28905157 DOI: 10.1007/s10709-017-9983-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Studies of genetic differentiation in fragmented environments help us to identify those landscape features that most affect gene flow and dispersal patterns. Particularly, the assessment of the relative significance of intrinsic biological and environmental factors affecting the genetic structure of populations becomes crucial. In this work, we assess the current dispersal patterns and population structure of Ctenomys "chasiquensis", a vulnerable and endemic subterranean rodent distributed on a small area in Central Argentina, using 9 polymorphic microsatellite loci. We use landscape genetics approaches to assess the relationship between genetic connectivity among populations and environmental attributes. Our analyses show that populations of C. "chasiquensis" are moderately to highly structured at a regional level. This pattern is most likely the outcome of substantial gene flow on the more homogeneous sand dune habitat of the Northwest of its distributional range, in conjunction with an important degree of isolation of eastern and southwestern populations, where the optimal habitat is surrounded by a highly fragmented landscape. Landscape genetics analysis suggests that habitat quality and longitude were the environmental factors most strongly associated with genetic differentiation/uniqueness of populations. In conclusion, our results indicate an important genetic structure in this species, even at a small spatial scale, suggesting that contemporary habitat fragmentation increases population differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matías Sebastián Mora
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250, 3rd floor, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
| | - Fernando J Mapelli
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250, 3rd floor, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Aldana López
- Área de Recursos Naturales, CONICET INTA EEA Bariloche, CC 277 8400, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - María Jimena Gómez Fernández
- Grupo de Genética y Ecología en Conservación y Biodiversidad, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", CONICET, Ángel Gallardo 470, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Patricia M Mirol
- Grupo de Genética y Ecología en Conservación y Biodiversidad, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", CONICET, Ángel Gallardo 470, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marcelo J Kittlein
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250, 3rd floor, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina
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Cutrera AP, Mora MS. Selection on MHC in a Context of Historical Demographic Change in 2 Closely Distributed Species of Tuco-tucos (Ctenomys australis and C. talarum). J Hered 2017; 108:628-639. [PMID: 28605534 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esx054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Selection necessarily acts within the same current and historical demographic framework as neutral evolutionary processes, and the outcome of the interplay between these forces may vary according to their relative strength. In this study, we compare the variation at a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus (DRB exon 2), typically subject to strong diversifying selection, and mitochondrial diversity (D-loop) across populations encompassing the entire distribution of 2 species of South American subterranean rodents: Ctenomys australis and C. talarum (tuco-tucos). Although these species are parapatric along most of their distribution, historically they have followed distinct demographic trajectories associated with sea level changes during the Quaternary. We surveyed 8 populations of C. australis and 15 of C. talarum, from which we analyzed 70 and 212 D-loop haplotypes and 91 and 346 DRB genotypes, respectively. Both species have gone through a recent demographic expansion; however, the signal of this process only encompasses the entire distribution of one of the species: C. australis. While balancing selection on MHC in C. talarum-enhanced DRB diversity at the local level compared to D-loop, although not promoting divergence among populations, in C. australis local diversifying selection may have driven higher population differentiation at DRB than at D-loop. Our findings reinforce the idea that the relative strength of selection acting on MHC genes varies spatially and temporally within and among species, even between species using the same macrohabitat and exposed to similar immune challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Paula Cutrera
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, CONICET - Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (7600), Argentina
| | - Matías Sebastián Mora
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, CONICET - Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (7600), Argentina
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Mora MS, Mapelli FJ, López A, Fernández MJG, Mirol PM, Kittlein MJ. Population genetic structure and historical dispersal patterns in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys “chasiquensis” from the southeastern Pampas region, Argentina. Mamm Biol 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2016.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Langone JA, Camargo A, de Sá RO. High genetic diversity but low population structure in the frog Pseudopaludicola falcipes (Hensel, 1867) (Amphibia, Anura) from the Pampas of South America. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2015; 95:137-51. [PMID: 26639101 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2015.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2015] [Revised: 11/03/2015] [Accepted: 11/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Relative to South America's ecoregions, the temperate grasslands of the Pampas have been poorly studied from a phylogeographic perspective. Based on an intermediate biogeographic setting between subtropical forest (Atlantic Forest) and arid ecosystems (Chaco and Patagonia), Pampean species are expected to show unstable demographic histories due to the Quaternary climatic oscillations. Herein, we investigate the phylogenetic relatedness and phylogeographic history of Pseudopaludicola falcipes, a small and common frog that is widely distributed across the Pampean grasslands. First, we use molecular data to assess if P. falcipes represents a single or multiple, separately evolving cryptic lineages. Because P. falcipes is a small-size species (<20mm) with extensive coloration and morphological variation, we suspected that it might represent a complex of cryptic species. In addition, we expected strong genetic and geographic structuring within Pseudopaludicola falcipes due to its large geographic distribution, potentially short dispersal distances, and multiple riverine barriers. We found that P. falcipes is a single evolutionary lineage with poor geographic structuring. Furthermore, current populations of P. falcipes have a large effective population size, maintain ancestral polymorphisms, and have a complex network of gene flow. We conclude that the demographic history of P. falcipes, combined with its ecological attributes and the landscape features of the Pampas, favored a unique combination among anurans of small body size, large population size, high genetic variability, but high cohesiveness of populations over a wide geographic distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- José A Langone
- Sección Herpetología, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Casilla de Correo 399, Código Postal 11.000, Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - Arley Camargo
- Programa de Desarrollo Universitario, Centro Universitario de Rivera, Universidad de la República. Ituzaingó 667, Código Postal 40.000, Rivera, Uruguay.
| | - Rafael O de Sá
- Sección Herpetología, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Casilla de Correo 399, Código Postal 11.000, Montevideo, Uruguay; Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA 23173, USA.
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Cardoso DC, Cristiano MP, Tavares MG, Schubart CD, Heinze J. Phylogeography of the sand dune ant Mycetophylax simplex along the Brazilian Atlantic Forest coast: remarkably low mtDNA diversity and shallow population structure. BMC Evol Biol 2015; 15:106. [PMID: 26058480 PMCID: PMC4460702 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0383-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2014] [Accepted: 05/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During past glacial periods, many species of forest-dwelling animals experienced range contractions. In contrast, species living outside such moist habitats appear to have reacted to Quaternary changes in different ways. The Atlantic Forest represents an excellent opportunity to test phylogeographic hypotheses, because it has a wide range of vegetation types, including unforested habitats covered predominantly by herbaceous and shrubby plants, which are strongly influenced by the harsh environment with strong wind and high insolation. Here, we investigated the distribution of genetic diversity in the endemic sand dune ant Mycetophylax simplex across its known range along the Brazilian coast, with the aim of contributing to the understanding of alternative phylogeographic patterns. We used partial sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I and nuclear gene wingless from 108 specimens and 51 specimens, respectively, to assess the phylogeography and demographic history of this species. To achieve this we performed different methods of phylogenetic and standard population genetic analyses. RESULTS The observed genetic diversity distribution and historical demographic profile suggests that the history of M. simplex does not match the scenario suggested for other Atlantic Forest species. Instead, it underwent demographic changes and range expansions during glacial periods. Our results show that M. simplex presents a shallow phylogeographic structure with isolation by distance among the studied populations, living in an almost panmictic population. Our coalescence approach indicates that the species maintained a stable population size until roughly 75,000 years ago, when it underwent a gradual demographic expansion that were coincident with the low sea-level during the Quaternary. Such demographic events were likely triggered by the expansion of the shorelines during the lowering of the sea level. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that over evolutionary time M. simplex did not undergo dramatic range fragmentation, but rather it likely persisted in largely interconnected populations. Furthermore, we add an important framework about how both glacial and interglacial events could positively affect the distribution and diversification of species. The growing number of contrasting phylogeographic patterns within and among species and regions have shown that Quaternary events influenced the distribution of species in more ways than first supposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danon Clemes Cardoso
- Present address: Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Rua Francisco H. dos Santos, s/n°, Jardim das Américas, Curitiba, Paraná, 81530-000, Brazil. .,Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Av. Peter Henry Rolfs, sn, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, 36570-000, Brazil. .,Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, Universität Regensburg, Universitätstrasse 31, D-93040, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Maykon Passos Cristiano
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, Universität Regensburg, Universitätstrasse 31, D-93040, Regensburg, Germany. .,Departamento de Biodiversidade, Evolução e Meio Ambiente, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil.
| | - Mara Garcia Tavares
- Present address: Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Rua Francisco H. dos Santos, s/n°, Jardim das Américas, Curitiba, Paraná, 81530-000, Brazil.
| | - Christoph D Schubart
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, Universität Regensburg, Universitätstrasse 31, D-93040, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, Universität Regensburg, Universitätstrasse 31, D-93040, Regensburg, Germany.
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Fasanella M, Bruno C, Cardoso Y, Lizarralde M. Historical demography and spatial genetic structure of the subterranean rodentCtenomys magellanicusin Tierra del Fuego (Argentina). Zool J Linn Soc 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Fasanella
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Centro Regional de Estudios Genómicos; Fac. Cs. Exactas; Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Fcio. Varela Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Cecilia Bruno
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Centro Regional de Estudios Genómicos; Fac. Cs. Exactas; Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Fcio. Varela Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Yamila Cardoso
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Centro Regional de Estudios Genómicos; Fac. Cs. Exactas; Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Fcio. Varela Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Marta Lizarralde
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Centro Regional de Estudios Genómicos; Fac. Cs. Exactas; Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Fcio. Varela Buenos Aires Argentina
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Lopes CM, Ximenes SSF, Gava A, de Freitas TRO. The role of chromosomal rearrangements and geographical barriers in the divergence of lineages in a South American subterranean rodent (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae: Ctenomys minutus). Heredity (Edinb) 2013; 111:293-305. [PMID: 23759727 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2013.49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2012] [Revised: 03/19/2013] [Accepted: 04/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying factors and the extent of their roles in the differentiation of populations is of great importance for understanding the evolutionary process in which a species is involved. Ctenomys minutus is a highly karyotype-polymorphic subterranean rodent, with diploid numbers ranging from 42 to 50 and autosomal arm numbers (ANs) ranging from 68 to 80, comprising a total of 45 karyotypes described so far. This species inhabits the southern Brazilian coastal plain, which has a complex geological history, with several potential geographical barriers acting on different time scales. We assessed the geographical genetic structure of C. minutus, examining 340 individuals over the entire distributional range and using information from chromosomal rearrangements, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences and 14 microsatellite loci. The mtDNA results revealed seven main haplogroups, with the most recent common ancestors dating from the Pleistocene, whereas clustering methods defined 12 populations. Some boundaries of mtDNA haplogroups and population clusters can be associated with potential geographical barriers to gene flow. The isolation-by-distance pattern also has an important role in fine-scale genetic differentiation, which is strengthened by the narrowness of the coastal plain and by common features of subterranean rodents (that is, small fragmented populations and low dispersal rates), which limit gene flow among populations. A step-by-step mechanism of chromosomal evolution can be suggested for this species, mainly associated with the metapopulation structure, genetic drift and the geographical features of the southern Brazilian coastal plain. However, chromosomal variations have no or very little role in the diversification of C. minutus populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M Lopes
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
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Mora MS, Cutrera AP, Lessa EP, Vassallo AI, D'Anatro A, Mapelli FJ. Phylogeography and population genetic structure of the Talas tuco-tuco (Ctenomys talarum): integrating demographic and habitat histories. J Mammal 2013. [DOI: 10.1644/11-mamm-a-242.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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16
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Gallardo MH, Suárez-Villota EY, Nuñez JJ, Vargas RA, Haro R, Köhler N. Phylogenetic analysis and phylogeography of the tetraploid rodentTympanoctomys barrerae(Octodontidae): insights on its origin and the impact of Quaternary climate changes on population dynamics. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.02016.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Milton H. Gallardo
- Institute of Marine and Limnological Sciences; Universidad Austral de Chile; Casilla 567; Valdivia; Chile
| | | | - José J. Nuñez
- Institute of Marine and Limnological Sciences; Universidad Austral de Chile; Casilla 567; Valdivia; Chile
| | - Rodrigo A. Vargas
- Institute of Marine and Limnological Sciences; Universidad Austral de Chile; Casilla 567; Valdivia; Chile
| | - Ronie Haro
- Institute of Marine and Limnological Sciences; Universidad Austral de Chile; Casilla 567; Valdivia; Chile
| | - Nélida Köhler
- Institute of Environmental and Evolutionary Sciences; Universidad Austral de Chile; Valdivia; Chile
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FERNÁNDEZ MARIAJIMENAGÓMEZ, GAGGIOTTI OSCARE, MIROL PATRICIA. The evolution of a highly speciose group in a changing environment: are we witnessing speciation in the Iberá wetlands? Mol Ecol 2012; 21:3266-82. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2012.05598.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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18
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GONÇALVES GISLENEL, HOEKSTRA HOPIE, FREITAS THALESRO. Striking coat colour variation in tuco-tucos (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae): a role for the melanocortin-1 receptor? Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2011.01839.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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19
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Mapelli FJ, Mora MS, Mirol PM, Kittlein MJ. Population structure and landscape genetics in the endangered subterranean rodent Ctenomys porteousi. CONSERV GENET 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-011-0273-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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20
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FORNEL RODRIGO, CORDEIRO-ESTRELA PEDRO, DE FREITAS THALESRENATOO. Skull shape and size variation in Ctenomys minutus (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) in geographical, chromosomal polymorphism, and environmental contexts. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2010.01496.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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21
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Ojeda AA. Phylogeography and genetic variation in the South American rodent Tympanoctomys barrerae (Rodentia: Octodontidae). J Mammal 2010. [DOI: 10.1644/09-mamm-a-177.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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22
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Mora MS, Mapelli FJ, Gaggiotti OE, Kittlein MJ, Lessa EP. Dispersal and population structure at different spatial scales in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys australis. BMC Genet 2010; 11:9. [PMID: 20109219 PMCID: PMC2828403 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2156-11-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2009] [Accepted: 01/28/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The population genetic structure of subterranean rodent species is strongly affected by demographic (e.g. rates of dispersal and social structure) and stochastic factors (e.g. random genetic drift among subpopulations and habitat fragmentation). In particular, gene flow estimates at different spatial scales are essential to understand genetic differentiation among populations of a species living in a highly fragmented landscape. Ctenomys australis (the sand dune tuco-tuco) is a territorial subterranean rodent that inhabits a relatively secure, permanently sealed burrow system, occurring in sand dune habitats on the coastal landscape in the south-east of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Currently, this habitat is threatened by urban development and forestry and, therefore, the survival of this endemic species is at risk. Here, we assess population genetic structure and patterns of dispersal among individuals of this species at different spatial scales using 8 polymorphic microsatellite loci. Furthermore, we evaluate the relative importance of sex and habitat configuration in modulating the dispersal patterns at these geographical scales. Results Our results show that dispersal in C. australis is not restricted at regional spatial scales (~ 4 km). Assignment tests revealed significant population substructure within the study area, providing support for the presence of two subpopulations from three original sampling sites. Finally, male-biased dispersal was found in the Western side of our study area, but in the Eastern side no apparent philopatric pattern was found, suggesting that in a more continuous habitat males might move longer distances than females. Conclusions Overall, the assignment-based approaches were able to detect population substructure at fine geographical scales. Additionally, the maintenance of a significant genetic structure at regional (~ 4 km) and small (less than 1 km) spatial scales despite apparently moderate to high levels of gene flow between local sampling sites could not be explained simply by the linear distance among them. On the whole, our results support the hypothesis that males disperse more frequently than females; however they do not provide support for strict philopatry within females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matías S Mora
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Casilla de Correo 1245, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
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CUTRERA ANAPAULA, LACEY EILEENA, MORA MATÍASS, LESSA ENRIQUEP. Effects of contrasting demographic histories on selection at major histocompatibility complex loci in two sympatric species of tuco-tucos (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2009.01358.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Kittlein MJ, Gaggiotti OE. Interactions between environmental factors can hide isolation by distance patterns: a case study of Ctenomys rionegrensis in Uruguay. Proc Biol Sci 2008; 275:2633-8. [PMID: 18682369 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.0816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying the factors responsible for the structuring of genetic diversity is of fundamental importance for biodiversity conservation. However, arriving at such understanding is difficult owing to the many factors involved and the potential interactions between them. Here, we present an example of how such interactions can preclude us from arriving at a complete characterization of the demographic history and genetic structure of a species. Ctenomys rionegrensis is a species with restricted dispersal abilities and, as such, should exhibit an isolation by distance (IBD) pattern, which previous studies were unable to uncover. It was therefore concluded that this species underwent a recent population expansion. Using a novel hierarchical Bayesian method, we show that the inability to detect the IBD pattern is due to the interaction between elevation and geographical distance. We posit that populations in low areas suffer periodic floods that may reduce local population sizes, increasing genetic drift, a process that masks the effect of distance on genetic differentiation. Our results do not refute the possibility that the populations of C. rionegrensis underwent a recent population expansion but they indicate that an alternative scenario described by a metapopulation model at or near migration-drift equilibrium cannot be excluded either.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo J Kittlein
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exáctas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250 4to piso, Mar del Plata, Argentina
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Opazo JC, Bugueño MP, Carter MJ, Palma RE, Bozinovic F. Phylogeography of the Subterranean RodentSpalacopus cyanus(Caviomorpha, Octodontidae). J Mammal 2008. [DOI: 10.1644/07-mamm-a-068.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Mora MS, Lessa EP, Cutrera AP, Kittlein MJ, Vassallo AI. Phylogeographical structure in the subterranean tuco-tuco Ctenomys talarum (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae): contrasting the demographic consequences of regional and habitat-specific histories. Mol Ecol 2007; 16:3453-65. [PMID: 17688545 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2007.03398.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
In this work we examined the phylogeography of the South American subterranean herbivorous rodent Ctenomys talarum (Talas tuco-tuco) using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region (D-loop) sequences, and we assessed the geographical genetic structure of this species in comparison with that of subterranean Ctenomys australis, which we have shown previously to be parapatric to C. talarum and to also live in a coastal sand dune habitat. A significant apportionment of the genetic variance among regional groups indicated that putative geographical barriers, such as rivers, substantially affected the pattern of genetic structure in C. talarum. Furthermore, genetic differentiation is consistent with a simple model of isolation by distance, possibly evidencing equilibrium between gene flow and local genetic drift. In contrast, C. australis showed limited hierarchical partitioning of genetic variation and departed from an isolation-by-distance pattern. Mismatch distributions and tests of neutrality suggest contrasting histories of these two species: C. talarum appears to be characterized by demographic stability and no significant departures from neutrality, whereas C. australis has undergone a recent demographic expansion and/or departures from strict neutrality in its mtDNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matías S Mora
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. CC1 245, 7600 Mar del Plata, Argentina.
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