Colonization history of the sableMartes zibellina(Mammalia, Carnivora) on the marginal peninsula and islands of northeastern Eurasia

Abstract

We examined the nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene (976 base pairs) for 279 individuals of the sable Martes zibellina (Carnivora, Mustelidae), derived from diverse areas throughout the regions of the Ural Mountains to the Russian Far East on the Eurasian continent and the peripheral peninsula (Kamchatka) and islands (Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and southern Kurils). The demographic history of the sable and its migration history to the eastern peripheral peninsula and islands were inferred using phylogeographic approaches. The analyses confirmed the previously found major lineages for the examined sables and further identified novel sublineages. Our data also support that a lineage, which is endemic to the eastern marginal islands (Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and southern Kurils), was produced by the demographic expansion of an ancestral lineage in the Eurasian continent. The most recent common ancestor of the Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and southern Kuril sables was estimated to exist during the Late Pleistocene. We also determined that another lineage exists on Sakhalin and is shared by the Far East Primorsky population. Our results indicate multiple migration events onto Sakhalin from the continent and suggest the importance of the formation of several straits to the distribution of sable lineages. Meanwhile, Kamchatka is dominated by a sole lineage which would also have followed the demographic expansion on the Eurasian continent. The Russian Far East was indicated as the source area for lineage diversifications; in this region, genetic diversity was relatively high, which is consistent with previous studies.

Effects of Isolation by Continental Islands in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, on Genetic Diversity of the Large Japanese Field Mouse, Apodemus speciosus (Rodentia: Muridae), Inferred from the Mitochondrial Dloop Region

“…Low genetic diversity is predicted to lead to extinction through inbreeding and/or by limiting immunological and evolutionary capabilities to cope with changing environments (Hughes and Stachowicz, 2004;Frankham et al, 2010). In fact, threatened species tend to have lower levels of genetic diversity (Frankham, 1996;Spielman et al, 2004), and the genetic diversity of small island populations has been reported to be lower than those of populations on nearby larger land masses (e.g., White and Searle, 2007;Sato et al, 2009;Kinoshita et al, 2015). However, the associations between limited genetic variation and island areas are not yet fully understood, especially with respect to mammals (White and Searle, 2007; see also Frankham, 1996).…”

Phylogeography and population history of the least weasel (Mustela nivalis) in the Palearctic based on multilocus analysis

“…Likewise, previous studies of other mammalian species also suggested possible refugia in the Ural Mountains. For example, the sables ( Martes zibellina Linnaeus, 1758; Kinoshita et al, ) and the bank voles ( Myodes glareolus Schreber, 1780; Deffontaine et al, ) from the Ural Mountains had relatively higher genetic diversities, suggesting the polymorphic status of relict populations of them. The Ural Mountains were reported as refugia for the common shrews ( Sorex araneus Linnaeus, 1758) by Polyakov et al ().…”

“…Three calibration points were set on the basis of the divergence times among outgroup species and least weasels. Following Sato et al () and Kinoshita et al (), a normal distribution with a mean of following time and SD was adopted to this analysis: 5.985 ± 0.315 million years ago (mya) between M. nudipes and the others, 5.365 ± 0.195 mya between M. kathiah and the others except M. nudipes, and 3.685 ± 0.285 mya between M. erminea and M. nivalis . In addition, the published estimate of least weasel mtDNA Cytb substitution rate of 2.1% Myr −1 from Dawson, Hope, Talbot, and Cook () and the strict clock model were also used.…”

“…Three calibration points were set on the basis of the divergence times among outgroup species and least weasels. Following Sato et al (2012) and Kinoshita et al (2015), a normal distribution with a mean of following time and SD was adopted to this analysis:…”

Variability of palatal ridges of the sable (Martes zibellina) in the Middle Amur Region

“…Проведенные подробные исследования морфологии соболя [13,14,20] описали изменчивость по ареалу, не привели к единому мнению о современной подвидовой структуре вида, но при этом показали, что «наблюдаемая картина изменчивости признаков на ареале повто-ряет процесс формирования морфологического облика популяций в ходе постгляциальной радиации» [11]. Молекулярно-генетические исследования митохондриальных и ядерных локусов позволили рассмотреть географическую изменчивость в ареале, филогеографию и историю расселения [10,15,2], в том числе заселение тихоокеанских островных систем [18]. Анализ микросателлитных локусов позволил получить представление о генетической структуре вида в целом, с выявлением особенностей популяций крупных пространственно разобщенных географических регионов [8,12].…”