Multiple radiations of spiny mice (Rodentia: Acomys) in dry open habitats of Afro-Arabia: evidence from a multi-locus phylogeny

BMC Evolutionary Biology

  ^{1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    9    1,10} 

[1] 0000 0000 9663 9052, grid.448077.8, Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic;0000 0001 2194 0956, grid.10267.32, Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 602 00, Brno, Czech Republic;0000 0000 9663 9052, grid.448077.8, Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic;0000 0001 2243 1723, grid.425401.6, Department of Zoology, National Museum, 115 79, Prague, Czech Republic;0000 0001 1088 7934, grid.437665.5, A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, 119071, Moscow, Russia;0000 0001 1539 8988, grid.30820.39, Department of Biology and Institute of Mountain Research and Development, Mekelle University, P.O. Box 3102, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia;0000 0001 2019 0495, grid.10604.33, Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya;0000 0001 2166 4904, grid.14509.39, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic;0000 0004 1937 116X, grid.4491.8, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 44, Prague, Czech Republic;0000 0004 1937 116X, grid.4491.8, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 44, Prague, Czech Republic;grid.448361.c, Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic;0000 0004 1937 116X, grid.4491.8, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 44, Prague, Czech Republic;grid.448361.c, Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic;0000 0001 1009 2154, grid.412968.0, Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic;

关键词: Acomys;    Savanna;    Biogeography;    Africa;    Arabia;    Sahara;    Somali-Masai;    Zambezian savanna;    Plio-Pleistocene;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12862-019-1380-9

来源: publisher

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSpiny mice of the genus Acomys are distributed mainly in dry open habitats in Africa and the Middle East, and they are widely used as model taxa for various biological disciplines (e.g. ecology, physiology and evolutionary biology). Despite their importance, large distribution and abundance in local communities, the phylogeny and the species limits in the genus are poorly resolved, and this is especially true for sub-Saharan taxa. The main aims of this study are (1) to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships of Acomys based on the largest available multilocus dataset (700 genotyped individuals from 282 localities), (2) to identify the main biogeographical divides in the distribution of Acomys diversity in dry open habitats in Afro-Arabia, (3) to reconstruct the historical biogeography of the genus, and finally (4) to estimate the species richness of the genus by application of the phylogenetic species concept.ResultsThe multilocus phylogeny based on four genetic markers shows presence of five major groups of Acomys called here subspinosus, spinosissimus, russatus, wilsoni and cahirinus groups. Three of these major groups (spinosissimus, wilsoni and cahirinus) are further sub-structured to phylogenetic lineages with predominantly parapatric distributions. Combination of alternative species delimitation methods suggests the existence of 26 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), potentially corresponding to separate species. The highest genetic diversity was found in Eastern Africa. The origin of the genus Acomys is dated to late Miocene (ca. 8.7 Ma), when the first split occurred between spiny mice of eastern (Somali-Masai) and south-eastern (Zambezian) savannas. Further diversification, mostly in Plio-Pleistocene, and the current distribution of Acomys were influenced by the interplay of global climatic factors (e.g., Messinian salinity crisis, intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation) with local geomorphology (mountain chains, aridity belts, water bodies). Combination of divergence dating, species distribution modelling and historical biogeography analysis suggests repeated “out-of-East-Africa” dispersal events into western Africa, the Mediterranean region and Arabia.ConclusionsThe genus Acomys is very suitable model for historical phylogeographic and biogeographic reconstructions of dry non-forested environments in Afro-Arabia. We provide the most thorough phylogenetic reconstruction of the genus and identify major factors that influenced its evolutionary history since the late Miocene. We also highlight the urgent need of integrative taxonomic revision of east African taxa.

【 授权许可】

CC BY