Phylogeography and diversification of the Dead Sea Sparrow (Passer moabiticus) in Iran: insights from a multilocus approach

Abstract

The Dead Sea Sparrow Passer moabiticus occupies a wide and scattered range across the Near East and the Middle East, where it inhabits semi-desert habitats. Two subspecies that differ in underpart coloration are recognized. Both subspecies occur in Iran, P. m. moabiticus in western Iran and P. m. yatii in eastern Iran. Here we document the population genetics of this poorly known species using a multilocus approach. We used seven microsatellite loci and one mitochondrial locus to quantify population structure and gene flow within and between both subspecies. Our study reveals significant genetic differentiation in both nuclear and mitochondrial markers between P. m. moabiticus and P. m. yatii. Our results support the occurrence of two genetic clusters, corresponding to the two subspecies, and suggest the absence of admixed individuals, implying no recent or current gene flow between the two subspecies. Our results support a phylogeographical scenario in which the two lineages diverged from each other about 0.3-0.4 million years ago during a period of extreme aridity in two small allopatric refugia. We suggest that moabiticus and yatii may deserve species status and advocate for additional studies investigating in-depth phenotypic and behavioural variation. We stress that P. m. yatii, which possesses a small and isolated range, may deserve special conservation attention.