Population genetic structure and historical dispersal patterns in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys “chasiquensis” from the southeastern Pampas region, Argentina

Mora, Matías S.; Mapelli, Fernando J.; López, Aldana Soledad; Fernandez, Maria Jimena Gomez; Mirol, Patricia M.; Kittlein, Marcelo J.

doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2016.02.008

Cited by 15 publications

(33 citation statements)

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“…Indeed, sea-level fluctuations structure fossorial populations through fragmentation and isolation during transgressions [ 22 , 24 ]. In addition, the action of rivers drives the isolation of fossorial populations ([ 10 , 71 , 75 ], but see [ 24 ]). It is therefore also likely that Cluster 3 was isolated from surrounding populations by the geographic barriers of the Breede River and Cape Fold Mountains (see [ 4 ] for a similar pattern in B .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial genetic diversity in the Cape mole-rat, Georychus capensis: Extreme isolation of populations in a subterranean environment

2018

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The subterranean niche harbours animals with extreme adaptations. These adaptations decrease the vagility of taxa and, along with other behavioural adaptations, often result in isolated populations characterized by small effective population sizes, high inbreeding, population bottlenecks, genetic drift and consequently, high spatial genetic structure. Although information is available for some species, estimates of genetic diversity and whether this variation is spatially structured, is lacking for the Cape mole-rat (Georychus capensis). By adopting a range-wide sampling regime and employing two variable mitochondrial markers (cytochrome b and control region), we report on the effects that life-history, population demography and geographic barriers had in shaping genetic variation and population genetic patterns in G. capensis. We also compare our results to information available for the sister taxon of the study species, Bathyergus suillus. Our results show that Georychus capensis exhibits low genetic diversity relative to the concomitantly distributed B. suillus, most likely due to differences in habitat specificity, habitat fragmentation and historical population declines. In addition, the isolated nature of G. capensis populations and low levels of population connectivity has led to small effective population sizes and genetic differentiation, possibly aided by genetic drift. Not surprisingly therefore, G. capensis exhibits pronounced spatial structure across its range in South Africa. Along with geographic distance and demography, other factors shaping the genetic structure of G. capensis include the historical and contemporary impacts of mountains, rivers, sea-level fluctuations and elevation. Given the isolation and differentiation among G. capensis populations, the monotypic genus Georychus may represent a species complex.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial genetic diversity in the Cape mole-rat, Georychus capensis: Extreme isolation of populations in a subterranean environment

2018

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“…Tissue samples (a very small portion of the tip of the tail for subsequent DNA extraction and genetic analyses) were obtained from captured individuals. These individuals were live trapped using Oneida Victor N°0 snap traps (Oneida Victor, Inc., Ltd., Eastlake, OH, United States), with a rubber cover to avoid injuring animals ( Mora et al , 2006 , 2010 , 2016 ). Capture position were determined using a GPS.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, tissue samples from C. talarum , C. azarae , C. porteousi , C. australis , and C. “chasiquensis” were used. Those samples were obtained from different previous published studies ( Mora et al, 2006 , 2007 , 2013 , 2016 ; Mapelli et al, 2012 , 2017 ) and are deposited in the Institute of Marine and Coastal Research (IIMyC, CONICET), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, tissue samples from C. talarum, C. azarae, C. porteousi, C. australis, and C. "chasiquensis" were used. Those samples were obtained from different previous published studies (Mora et al, 2006(Mora et al, , 2007(Mora et al, , 2013(Mora et al, , 2016Mapelli et al, 2012Mapelli et al, , 2017…”

Section: Sampling Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These results show a high specificity of each group of species in terms of the occupation of different habitats. In particular, soil characteristics could be a good predictor of the occurrence of each species of Ctenomys from different phylogenetic groups (see Mora et al, 2016Mora et al, , 2017 for the nominal form C. "chasiquensis"; see Mapelli et al, 2012Mapelli et al, , 2017 for C. azarae and C. porteousi). Such specificity in occupation of different environment configurations goes beyond geographical proximity, since, in many regions, species of different phylogenetic groups are very close to each other (e.g., Macachín and Guatraché; see Figure 1).…”

Section: Populations Of Mendocinus Groupmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Redefining the Distributional Boundaries and Phylogenetic Relationships for Ctenomids From Central Argentina

et al. 2021

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With about 68 recognized living species, subterranean rodents of the genus Ctenomys are found in a multiplicity of habitats, from the dunes of the Atlantic coast to the Andes Mountains, including environments ranging from humid steppes of Pampas to the dry deserts of Chaco region. However, this genus needs an exhaustive reevaluation of its systematic and phylogenetic relationships regarding the different groups that compose it. This knowledge is essential to propose biodiversity conservation strategies both at species level and at higher hierarchical levels. In order to clarify the taxonomy and the recent evolutionary history from populations of Ctenomys in the Pampas region, Argentina, phylogenetic relationships among them were evaluated using mitochondrial DNA sequences: gene encoding cytochrome b protein (1,140 bp) and the non-coding D-loop region (434 bp). To infer the divergence times inside the Ctenomys clade, a Bayesian calibrate tree using fossil remains data from different families within Caviomorpha was performed at first. Secondly, that calibration data was used as priors in a new Bayesian phylogenetic inference within the genus Ctenomys. This phylogenetic tree emphasized on species currently distributed on the Pampas region, more precisely considering both the talarum and mendocinus groups. Bayesian inferences (BI) were integrated with the results of a Maximum Likelihood approach (ML). Based on these results, the distributional limits of the mendocinus and talarum groups appear to be related to the physiognomy of the Pampas region soils. On the other hand, the validity of C. pundti complex as a differentiated species of C. talarum is debated. According to previous evidence from morphological and chromosomal studies, these results show a very low divergence between those species that originally were classified within the talarum group. Mitochondrial DNA sequences from populations associated with these putative species have not recovered as reciprocal monophyletic groups in the phylogenetic analyses. In conclusion, C. talarum and C. pundti complex might be considered as the same biological species, or lineages going through a recent or incipient differentiation process. The results obtained in this study have important implications for conservation policies and practices, since both species are currently categorized as Vulnerable and Endangered, respectively.

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A Short Overview of the Systematics of Ctenomys: Species Limits and Phylogenetic Relationships

2021

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Population genetic structure and historical dispersal patterns in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys “chasiquensis” from the southeastern Pampas region, Argentina

Cited by 15 publications

References 46 publications

Spatial genetic diversity in the Cape mole-rat, Georychus capensis: Extreme isolation of populations in a subterranean environment

Spatial genetic diversity in the Cape mole-rat, Georychus capensis: Extreme isolation of populations in a subterranean environment

Redefining the Distributional Boundaries and Phylogenetic Relationships for Ctenomids From Central Argentina

A Short Overview of the Systematics of Ctenomys: Species Limits and Phylogenetic Relationships

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