Unexpected morphometric differentiation of the Algerian mouse, <i>Mus spretus</i> (Rodentia: Muridae) from Kabylie of Djurdjura (Algeria)

Homsi, Nora Khammes-El; Aulagnier, Stéphane

doi:10.1515/mamm.2010.023

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Despite these trends, no significant differences in size or shape emerged among EH2 levels throughout the record. This overall size and shape stability between the EH2 levels is even more striking when compared with the important geographical variation occurring today for the same dental features within the distribution area of the species (Darviche & Orsini, ; Cucchi, ; Khammes‐El Homsi & Aulagnier ; Valenzuela‐Lamas et al ., ). It is further striking as morphological changes are expected both along anagenetic lineages (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…This temporal stability strongly contrasts, however, with the present-day variation, as geographical differences have been documented across the modern distribution range of the Mediterranean mouse (Darviche & Orsini, 1982;Cucchi, 2005;Khammes-El Homsi & Aulagnier, 2010;Valenzuela-Lamas et al, 2011). Such a geographical variation has also been documented in other murine species, such as the wood mouse .…”

Section: Through Time and Spacementioning

confidence: 91%

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Musin Morocco: a Quaternary sequence of intraspecific evolution

Stoetzel

Denys

Michaux

et al. 2013

Biol J Linn Soc Lond

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North Africa is an intricate biogeographical region at the crossroads of immigration waves from tropical Africa and Asia. Species confined between various barriers (Atlas Mountains, arid environments such as the Sahara in the south, water masses such as the Mediterranean Sea in the north, and the Atlantic Ocean in the west) were generally forced to adapt locally to environmental changes instead of tracking their habitat by shifting their distribution area. The present study aims at providing first insight into the evolution of the genus Mus, and more specifically of the western Mediterranean species Mus spretus in this area. The study relies on the abundant Late Pleistocene and Middle Holocene fossil assemblage from the El Harhoura 2 cave (Rabat‐Témara, Morocco). This exceptional record was studied using geometric morphometrics applied to first upper and lower molars, constituting the most informative and best preserved fossil remains for such small rodents. Two main issues were addressed. (1) Geometric morphometrics was used to clarify taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships among fossil and modern species in this area. Morphometric analysis revealed good discrimination of most modern and fossil species but failed to document intermediate forms tracing anagenetic evolution. Not mutually exclusive, the occurrence of complex processes of morphological evolution in this genus such as parallel evolution and the action of stabilizing selection may make it difficult to translate patterns of morphological evolution into phylogenetic conclusions. (2) The record was shown to document a sequence of intraspecific evolution of M. spretus. The morphology of the molars through the fossil record of El Harhoura 2 was surprisingly stable despite extensive modern variation. The limited temporal variation largely failed to correlate to palaeoenvironmental proxies. The mouse fossil record at El Harhoura 2 thus presents an intriguing case of morphological stasis despite extensive environmental changes. This long‐term stability may have been recently perturbed by anthropogenic factors including landscape changes and introduction of various competitors and predators, leading to a size reduction. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 109, 599–621.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Through Time and Spacementioning

confidence: 91%

Musin Morocco: a Quaternary sequence of intraspecific evolution

Stoetzel

Denys

Michaux

et al. 2013

Biol J Linn Soc Lond

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“…Geographical differences in body size, molar or skull morphology have been documented across the modern distribution range of M. spretus (Darviche and Orsini 1982;Darviche et al 2006;Khammes-El Homsi and Aulagnier 2010;Palomo et al 1985;Valenzuela-Lamas et al 2011). The observed morphological variability could be hypothesized to be due to relative isolation between populations, leading to divergence (founder effect, drift) and possibly local adaptation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This longterm morphological stability contrasts with the molar size decrease observed between the last El Harhoura 2 Holocene level (5800 years BP) and modern Moroccan mouse populations (Stoetzel et al 2013). Geographical morphological variation have been documented across the modern distribution range of this mouse (Darviche and Orsini 1982;Darviche et al 2006;Khammes-El Homsi and Aulagnier 2010;Palomo et al 1983;Palomo et al 1985;Stoetzel et al 2013;Valenzuela-Lamas et al 2011). The modern geographical variation was hypothesized to be due to relative isolation between populations leading to divergence and possibly local adaptation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Out of Africa: demographic and colonization history of the Algerian mouse (Mus spretus Lataste)

Lalis¹,

Mona²,

Stoetzel³

et al. 2018

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North Africa is now recognized as a major area for the emergence and dispersal of anatomically modern humans from at least 315 kya. The Mediterranean Basin is thus particularly suited to study the role of climate versus human-mediated changes on the evolutionary history of species. The Algerian mouse (Mus spretus Lataste) is an endemic species from this basin, with its distribution restricted to North Africa (from Libya to Morocco), Iberian Peninsula and South of France. A rich paleontological record of M. spretus exists in North Africa, suggesting hypotheses concerning colonization pathways, and the demographic and morphologic history of this species. Here we combined genetic (3 mitochondrial DNA loci and 18 microsatellites) and climatic niche modeling data to infer the evolutionary history of the Algerian mouse. We collected 646 new individuals in 51 localities. Our results are consistent with an anthropogenic translocation of the Algerian mouse from North Africa to the Iberian Peninsula via Neolithic navigators, probably from the Tingitane Peninsula. Once arrived in Spain, suitable climatic conditions would then have favored the dispersion of the Algerian mice to France. The morphological differentiation observed between Spanish, French and North African populations could be explained by a founder effect and possibly local adaptation. This article helps to better understand the role of climate versus human-mediated changes on the evolutionary history of mammal species in the Mediterranean Basin.

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“…Two exceptions were found: the Algerian population of M. spretus and the house mice from Corsica. The smaller first lower molar size of M. spretus in Algeria has been assessed recently (Khammes‐El Homsi & Aulagnier, 2010) as a consequence of local adaptation. In the case of Corsican M. m. domesticus , a phenomenon of macrodonty (allometric increase of molar size compared to the body size) has been observed and interpreted as a result of adaptative adjustment caused by inter‐ and intraspecific competition release, as well as the increase of the ecological niche (Orsini & Cheylan, 1988; Vigne et al ., 1993).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

House mouse dispersal in Iron Age Spain: a geometric morphometrics appraisal

Lamas

Baylac

Cucchi

et al. 2011

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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During the Iron Age, sea trade in the Mediterranean increased, particularly with the expansion of Phoenician and Greek colonies in the Western Mediterranean. A side effect of these human movements was the involuntary dispersion of commensal species, such as the house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus). One archaeological layer dated from the 4th Century BC, coming from an Iberian village located in the Mediterranean coast of Spain, contained a large and reliable accumulation of small mammals. The presence of the house mouse was highly suspected within this layer. To assess its abundance quantitatively, we used a geometric morphometrics approach of the first lower molar contour using elliptical Fourier analysis. We also increased the power of the discrimination between the Algerian mouse (Mus spretus) and the house mouse by combining a dimension reduction approach together with different validation procedures. The relative importance of age, sex, and geographical origin onto the shape and form of the lower molar contour was also investigated. The results obtained demonstrate the presence and the dominance of the house mouse in the landscape surrounding the Iberian village in the 1st Millennium BC, only a few centuries after its arrival in the Western Mediterranean Basin. A cross-validated linear discriminant function considering different Mediterranean populations suggest Morocco and France as the most probable geographical origins for the Algerian mouse, and Tunisia for the origin of house mice in North-Eastern Spain.

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Unexpected morphometric differentiation of the Algerian mouse, Mus spretus (Rodentia: Muridae) from Kabylie of Djurdjura (Algeria)

Cited by 7 publications

References 28 publications

Musin Morocco: a Quaternary sequence of intraspecific evolution

Musin Morocco: a Quaternary sequence of intraspecific evolution

Out of Africa: demographic and colonization history of the Algerian mouse (Mus spretus Lataste)

House mouse dispersal in Iron Age Spain: a geometric morphometrics appraisal

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