Genetic and morphologic diversity of the moles (Talpomorpha, Talpidae,Mogera) from the continental Far East

Abstract

Taxonomy of the East Asian moles of the genus Mogera is still controversial. Based on the sequence data of 12 nuclear genes and one mitochondrial gene, we examine genetic variation in the Mogera wogura species complex and demonstrate that M. robusta, from the continental Far East, and M. wogura, from the Japanese Islands, are not conspecific. Our data do not support the existence of two or more species of Mogera in the Russian Far East. We suggest that the form “coreana” from the Korean Peninsula should be treated as a subspecies of M. robusta. Our morphological analysis shows that M. r. coreana differs from typical M. robusta, from Primorye, primarily in its smaller size. We show that there is strong morphological variability among continental moles, which may be associated with ecological and geographical factors. The time since the split between M. wogura s. str. and M. robusta dates back to the Middle Pleistocene (0.30–1.0 Myr), while M. r. coreana separated from M. r. robusta in the Upper Pleistocene (0.04–0.18 Myr). The results of the mismatch analysis indicate recent demographic expansion in populations of moles from Primorye.

Influence of Quaternary environmental changes on mole populations inferred from mitochondrial sequences and evolutionary rate estimation

“…The rapid expansion model was supported by a mismatch distribution analysis and both neutrality tests, Tajima's D and Fu's Fs, resulting in a τ value of 2.89 (Table 1). We also used a previously reported Cytb sequence dataset (n = 104, k = 1140, [21]) and obtained a τ-value of 2.61, which was similar to the aforementioned results (Table 1). (Mwo-IV, purple).…”

“…The present study of mtDNA variation illuminates the evolutionary history of Japanese moles, especially for the prominent events of sudden population expansion, which are thought to be associated with the drastic environmental fluctuations in the late Quaternary [1,3,5,7,8,10,21,44] and likely to be major determinants of mtDNA genetic diversity. Moreover, our results provide an opportunity to determine the pattern of the mtDNA evolutionary rate in insectivorous species by providing sequential biogeographic calibration points.…”

“…Mogera wogura specimens (n = 131; Supplementary Table S1) consisted of 101 newly collected individuals and 30 from the database [5,20,24,25]. M. robusta (n = 14) samples included two newly collected individuals from Russia and 12 from the database [21,22,24]. Genomic DNA was extracted from tissue samples (liver, spleen, kidney, muscle) preserved in ethanol solution using the QIAamp DNA Mini Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany).…”

“…The sequences were aligned using MUSCLE implemented in MEGA7 [28]. The published Cytb sequences (1140 bp) from 104 additional individuals of M. robusta [21] were used to independently assess the population dynamics of this phylogroup.…”

“…The large Japanese mole (Mogera wogura) is found in the Korean Peninsula, East China, and the Maritime region of the Russian Far East (Primorye). Continental populations are now recognized as a distinct species, M. robusta [21,22].…”