Differentiation of North African foxes and population genetic dynamics in the desert—insights into the evolutionary history of two sister taxa, Vulpes rueppellii and Vulpes vulpes

Abstract

The effects of Pleistocene glaciations on moulding biodiversity have been extensively investigated within temperate biomes, yet arid ecosystems are largely neglected. A clear example comes from North Africa and the successive range of expansion/contraction cycles of the Sahara desert. This study focuses on North African foxes (genus Vulpes), in particular two sister taxa, Vulpes rueppellii and Vulpes vulpes, but also Vulpes zerda and Vulpes pallida. A set of two mitochondrial markers (Cyt-b and D-loop) and 31-33 autosomal microsatellites were used to conduct phylogenetic and population analyses, as well as to investigate the possible occurrence of hybridisation events. Phylogenetic analysis revealed V. rueppellii to be more closely related to North African V. vulpes than the latter with Eurasian V. vulpes, along with the occurrence of two sub-clades of V. vulpes within the Maghreb. In contrast, microsatellite analysis identified V. rueppellii and V. vulpes as clearly separate entities, and no sign of population structure was observed for both species within North Africa. Both mitochondrial and nuclear markers separated North African and Eurasian V. vulpes in two distinct groups. We propose two explanatory scenarios, both influenced by past climatic shifts: (1) past introgression of V. vulpes mitochondrial genome into V. rueppellii and (2) V. rueppellii represents an arid ecotype of V. vulpes trapped in the Sahara during a humid/arid transition. The successive expansions/contractions of the Sahara were also likely responsible for the mitochondrial structure of North African V. vulpes. We unveil intriguing insights on the genetic structure of carnivore species in North Africa, suggesting that further integrative research is needed.

High genetic distinctiveness of wild and farm fox (Vulpes vulpes L.)populations in Poland: evidence from mitochondrial DNA analysis

“…Other studies, discussing mitochondrial DNA control region haplotypes identified in red fox from four regions in Croatia, revealed haplotype diversity of Croatian red foxes to be among the highest of all European red fox populations studied to date, although genetic differentiation among regions was quite low (Galov et al, 2014). As evidenced by analysis of the nuclear and mitochondrial markers, Eurasian red foxes also form a separate group in comparison to the representatives of Vulpes vulpes living in North Africa (Leite et al, 2015). While taking into consideration Asia Minor, the majority of Turkish haplotypes grouped with those of Eurasia.…”

Trophic patterns and home‐range size of two generalist urban carnivores: a review

“…Foxes are one of the most widespread carnivores; while they originated from the Middle East (Statham et al ., ), today they are present in all continents with the exception of Antarctica. Specifically, British foxes derived from Central European populations (Edwards et al ., ), North American foxes differ from their European counterparts (Sacks et al ., ; Leite et al ., ), while Australian foxes were introduced by humans from Europe (Macdonald & Reynolds, 2004). Cats were probably domesticated in the early Neolithic period (i.e.…”

Phylogeny of the Eurasian Wren Nannus troglodytes (Aves: Passeriformes: Troglodytidae) reveals deep and complex diversification patterns of Ibero-Maghrebian and Cyrenaican populations

“…[139]. Similarly deep splits between Iberian and Maghrebian populations of the same species were PLOS ONE found in other terrestrial vertebrates, such as in amphibians, reptiles [25,140], and in mammals [141][142][143][144]. The Strait of Gibraltar was suggested to be an effective biogeographic barrier for trans-Mediterranean floral and faunal interchange [145][146][147] and accordingly split ages between populations north and south of the Strait were often dated to times when land bridges between the two continents existed, e.g.…”

“…Rather complex phylogeographic patterns have been documented for other mammals, e.g. vicariance of genetically distinct Red Fox populations (Vulpes vulpes) of the Maghreb and the Fertile Crescent that are replaced by Rueppell's Fox (Vulpes rueppellii) across their distribution gap in Libya [143]. In other mammal species, Sardinian and other Mediterranean island populations are firmly nested in a trans-Maghrebian clade (e.g.…”