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Mitochondrial demographic history of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), an expanding carnivore in the Iberian Peninsula

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Abstract

Describing the genetic patterns and the demographic history of expanding species is essential for providing insights into the processes linked with range dynamics. We analysed the mitochondrial diversity of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) across the Iberian Peninsula, where the species is currently expanding north-west. A total of 242 individuals were analysed, together with nine representatives from the North African dispersal source. Haplotype segregation and strong differentiation between Iberian and North African populations confirmed the long-term presence of the species in the Iberian Peninsula. The distribution of mitochondrial diversity fitted the pattern of a historically diversified population in southern Iberia, from which the recent dispersals into northern areas may have occurred. Higher levels of haplotype and nucleotide diversities in the northern areas, together with the heterogeneous distribution of pairwise population differentiations and the weak signal for isolation-by-distance suggest the existence of long-dispersal migrants across the Iberian Peninsula. Sudden and spatial expansion scenarios of H. ichneumon in the Iberian Peninsula were supported by mismatch analysis and marginally supported by neutrality tests. However, the precise time of occurrence of the detected expansion remains unclear. Future studies should incorporate additional markers in order to further clarify the population dynamics of the Egyptian mongoose in its Iberian range.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Tânia Barros, Rita G. Rocha, Victor Bandeira, Luis Souto & Carlos Fonseca

  2. Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM) - UM2-CNRS-IRD-CIRAD-EPHE, Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon - CC 64, Montpellier cedex 05, 34095, France

    Philippe Gaubert

  3. Unidade de Biologia da Conservação, Universidade de Évora, Portugal

    António Mira

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  1. Tânia Barros
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Barros, T., Gaubert, P., Rocha, R.G. et al. Mitochondrial demographic history of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), an expanding carnivore in the Iberian Peninsula. Mamm Biol 81, 176–184 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2015.09.003

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