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Spiny mice of the Zambezian bioregion - phylogeny, biogeography and ecological differentiation within the Acomys spinosissimus complex

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Abstract

Despite the high degree of biological diversity in the Zambezian region, little information is available regarding the evolutionary history of its biota, and this is especially true for the fauna and flora of non-forested habitats. Here we use the most comprehensive multi-locus genetic dataset available to (1) reconstruct the phylogeny of spiny mice of the Acomys spinosissimus complex and to describe the spa-tial distribution of its genetic diversity; (2) to assess the level of reproductive isolation between genetic clades; (3) to analyse differences in climatic niche between potential species; and (4) to model their current and past distribution. The complex comprises four main genetic clades that correspond to four nominal species living in the east of the Zambezian region. Their distribution is delimited by important geographical divides including the Eastern Arc Mountains, Lake Malawi and the Zambezi River. Two species considered Tanzanian endemics, A. ngurui and A. muzei, are now known to be more widespread than previously thought and they have their centres of genetic diversity just north of the Zambezi. The first split between the extant members of the A. spinosissimus complex is estimated at 3 Mya. Most intraspecific diversification events are thought to have occurred in the Pleistocene, suggesting that climatic oscillations played an important role in their diversification. The climatic niches of parapatric taxa differ significantly; hence, local adaptations have likely played an important role in reproductive isolation. Species distribution modelling predicts a dramatic reduction of occurrence probability across the area during the last interglacial period, facilitating allopatric diversification of fragmented populations. Our results strongly suggest the combined role of Pleistocene climatic change, biogeographical barriers and local adaptation in forming current taxa diversity in east African savannah-like habitats. While such processes have frequently been observed in forest-living organisms (theory of allopatric diversification in forest refugia), similar mechanisms were likely also working in open ecosystems (savannah refugia).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Facility Studenec, Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Studenec 122, 675 02 Koněšín, Brno, Czech Republic

    Jan Petružela, Tatiana Aghová, Anna Bryjová & Josef Bryja

  2. Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

    Jan Petružela, Tatiana Aghová & Josef Bryja

  3. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Radim Šumbera

  4. Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania

    Abdul S. Katakweba & Christopher A. Sabuni

  5. Biology Department, Chancellor College, University of Malawi, P.O. Box 280, Zomba, Malawi

    Wilbert N. Chitaukali

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  1. Jan Petružela
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  2. Radim Šumbera
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  3. Tatiana Aghová
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Correspondence to Josef Bryja.

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Petružela, J., Šumbera, R., Aghová, T. et al. Spiny mice of the Zambezian bioregion - phylogeny, biogeography and ecological differentiation within the Acomys spinosissimus complex. Mamm Biol 91, 79–90 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2018.03.012

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