Aim Pleistocene climate and associated environmental changes have influenced phylogeographic patterns of many species. These not only depend on a species’ life history but also vary regionally. Consequently, populations of widespread species that occur in several biomes might display different evolutionary trajectories. We aimed to identify regional drivers of diversification in the common pheasant, a widely distributed ecological generalist. Location Asia. Taxon Common pheasant Phasianus colchicus. Methods Using a comprehensive geographical sampling of 204 individuals from the species’ entire range genotyped at seven nuclear and two mitochondrial loci, we reconstructed spatio‐temporal diversification and demographic history of the common pheasant. We applied Bayesian phylogenetic inference to describe phylogeographic structure, generated a species tree and inferred demographic history within and migration between lineages. Moreover, to establish a taxonomic framework, we conducted a species delimitation analysis. Results The common pheasant diversified during the Late Pleistocene into eight distinct lineages. It originated at the edge of the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau and spread to East and Central Asia. Only the widely distributed lowland lineage of East Asia displayed recent range expansion. Greater phylogeographic structure was identified elsewhere, with lineages showing no sign of recent demographic changes. One lineage in south‐central China is the result of long‐term isolation within a climatically stable but topographically complex region. In lineages from arid Central Asia and China, range expansions were impeded by repeated population fragmentation during dry glacial periods and by recent aridification. Main conclusions Spatio‐temporal phylogeographic frameworks of widespread taxa such as the common pheasant provide valuable opportunities to identify divergent drivers of regional diversification. Our results suggest that diversification and population histories in the eight distinct evolutionary lineages were shaped by regionally variable effects of past climate and associated environmental changes. The evolutionary history of the common pheasant is best reflected by its being split into three species.
AimHistorical factors such as Pleistocene climate cycles and associated environmental changes have influenced the phylogeographic structure and demographic dynamics of many species. Resulting patterns not only depend on species’ life-history but also vary regionally. Consequently, different populations of species with large ranges over different biomes might have experienced divergent drivers of diversification and show different population histories. Such a representative species is the common pheasant Phasianus colchicus, an ecological generalist with a wide distribution in the Palearctic and at the edge of the Oriental region. We aimed at identifying distinct phylogeographic lineages of the common pheasant and investigating their evolutionary trajectories.Study locationAsiaMethodsWe used coalescent approaches to describe the phylogeographic structure and to reconstruct the spatio-temporal diversification and demographic history of the common pheasant based on a comprehensive geographic sampling of 265 individuals genotyped at seven nuclear and two mitochondrial loci.ResultsThe common pheasant diversified during the late Pleistocene into eight distinct evolutionary lineages which only partly correspond to traditional morphological groups. It originated at the edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau and spread from there to East and Central Asia. Only the widely distributed genetically uniform lowland lineage of East Asia showed a recent range and population expansion, starting during last glacial. More phylogeographic structure was found elsewhere with lineages showing no signs of recent range expansions. One lineage of subtropical south-central China this is the result of long-term isolation in a climatically stable and topographically complex region. In others from arid Central Asia and China, demographic and range expansions were impeded by repeated population fragmentation during dry glacial and recent aridification. Given such a phylogeographic structure and demographic scenarios among lineages, we proposed split the range-wide common pheasant into three species.Main conclusionsSpatio-temporal phylogeographic frameworks of widespread species complexes such as the common pheasant provide valuable opportunities to identify regionally divergent drivers of diversification.
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