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High degree of population subdivision in a widespread amphibian
- Source :
- Molecular Ecology. 13:2631-2644
- Publication Year :
- 2004
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2004.
-
Abstract
- In general, amphibians are known to exhibit a higher degree of population subdivision than any other major animal taxa, but large-scale population genetic surveys of widely distributed species are still scarce, especially in the Eurasian continent. Using microsatellite markers and mitochondrial DNA sequences, we investigated the large-scale population genetic structure of the common frog (Rana temporaria)--one of the most widespread amphibians of the Palearctic region. Analyses of cytochrome b sequences revealed evidence for two distinct lineages inhabiting western and eastern parts of Europe. The separation of these lineages c. 700,000 years ago may have been induced by the onset of the Middle Pleistocene continental glaciations. Analyses of the variability of microsatellite loci within each of the clades revealed evidence for evolution of a high degree of population subdivision (FST approximately 0.23) even in northern Fennoscandia, colonized less than 10,000 years ago. The high level of substructuring is puzzling in the face of an apparently high dispersal capacity, as evidenced by the rather rapid recolonization of northern Europe. This suggests that processes other than restricted dispersal capacity need to be explored as explanations for the high degree of population subdivision in amphibians. The colonization of northern Europe has been accompanied by loss of genetic variability as evidenced by decreasing levels of intrapopulational genetic variability in microsatellite loci from south to north across Europe.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Pleistocene
Molecular Sequence Data
Population Dynamics
Rana temporaria
Population
Biology
Evidence of common descent
DNA, Mitochondrial
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
03 medical and health sciences
Gene Frequency
Genetics
Animals
Cluster Analysis
Genetic variability
education
Phylogeny
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
DNA Primers
030304 developmental biology
Likelihood Functions
0303 health sciences
education.field_of_study
Base Sequence
Geography
Models, Genetic
Cytochrome b
Genetic Variation
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Europe
Phylogeography
Genetics, Population
Evolutionary biology
Genetic structure
Biological dispersal
Microsatellite Repeats
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 1365294X and 09621083
- Volume :
- 13
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Molecular Ecology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....b2ca3bed7235ae9d75fef49a797f342f