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A Biogeographic View of Apodemus in Asia and Europe Inferred From Nuclear and Mitochondrial Gene Sequences

Hitoshi SuzukiContact Information, Maria Grazia Filippucci2, Galina N. Chelomina3, Jun J. Sato4, Keiko Serizawa1 and Eviatar Nevo5

(1)  Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
(2)  Department of Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, Italy
(3)  Institute of Biology and Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences Far East Branch, Vladivostok, 690022, Russia
(4)  Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Fukuyama University, Higashimura-cho, Aza, Sanzo, 985, Fukuyama 729-0292, Japan
(5)  Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, 31905, Israel

Received: 14 May 2007  Revised: 12 November 2007  Accepted: 12 November 2007  Published online: 30 January 2008

Abstract  Sequences of the mitochondrial cyt b gene and nuclear IRBP, RAGI, I7, and vWF genes were used to assess the evolutionary history of major lineages of Apodemus, in particular to better understand dispersal between Asia and Europe. Our data show eight extant lineages of Late Tertiary origin: Apodemus agrarius, A. semotus, A. peninsulae, A. speciosus, A. argenteus, A. gurkha, A. mystacinus, and A. sylvaticus. Monophyly of two European lineages (A. mystacinus and A. sylvaticus) and four Asian lineages (A. agrarius, A. semotus, A. peninsulae, and A. speciosus) was confirmed with high bootstrap support. Together with literature data, the available molecular data depict three crucial evolutionary events: (1) initial wide dispersal and subsequent radiation around 6 million years ago, (2) region-specific radiations in Europe and southern China around 2 million years ago, and (3) westward dispersal of A. agrarius to Europe in the Late Quaternary.

Keywords   Apodemus  -  Biogeography - Late Tertiary - Molecular phylogeny - Wood mice


Contact Information Hitoshi Suzuki
Email: htsuzuki@ees.hokudai.ac.jp

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