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Phylogeographic barriers, together with habitat loss and fragmentation, contribute to the evolution of a species’ genetic diversity by limiting gene flow and increasing genetic differentiation among populations. Changes in connectivity can thus affect the genetic diversity of populations, which may influence the evolutionary potential of species and the survival of populations in the long term. We studied the genetic diversity of the little known Northern rufous mouse lemur (Microcebus tavaratra), endemic to Northern Madagascar. We focused on the population of M. tavaratra in the Loky-Manambato region, Northern Madagascar, a region delimited by two permanent rivers and characterized by a mosaic of fragmented forests. We genotyped 148 individuals at three mitochondrial loci (D-loop, cytb, and cox2) in all the major forests of the study region. Our analyses suggest that M. tavaratra holds average genetic diversity when compared to other mouse lemur species, and we identified two to four genetic clusters in the study region, a pattern similar to that observed in another lemur endemic to the region (Propithecus tattersalli). The main cluster involved samples from the two mountain forests in the study region, which were connected until recently. However, the river crossing the study region does not appear to be a strict barrier to gene flow in M. tavaratra. Finally, the inferred demographic history of M. tavaratra suggests no detectable departure from stationarity over the last millennia. Comparisons with codistributed species (P. tattersalli and two endemic rodents, Eliurus spp.) suggest both differences and similarities in the genetic clusters identified (i.e., barriers to species dispersal) and in the inferred demographic history. These comparisons suggest that studies of codistributed species are important to understand the effects of landscape features on species and to reconstruct the history of habitat changes in a region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Lemur News is the property of Lemur News and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Lemur News is the property of Lemur News and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)