High mtDNA haplotype diversity among introduced Swedish brown haresLepus europaeus

Thulin, Carl‐Gustaf; Tegelström, Håkan

doi:10.1007/bf03192444

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Thulin et al . [25] and Thulin & Tegelström [26,27] demonstrated the unidirectional introgression of L. timidus mtDNA into L. europaeus that was introduced into Sweden during the 19th century. Morphological intermediates between the two species, believed to be hybrids, have also been observed since the introduction of L. europaeus [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reticulate evolution: frequent introgressive hybridization among chinese hares (genus lepus) revealed by analyses of multiple mitochondrial and nuclear DNA loci

Liu

Arnold

et al. 2011

BMC Evol Biol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundInterspecific hybridization may lead to the introgression of genes and genomes across species barriers and contribute to a reticulate evolutionary pattern and thus taxonomic uncertainties. Since several previous studies have demonstrated that introgressive hybridization has occurred among some species within Lepus, therefore it is possible that introgressive hybridization events also occur among Chinese Lepus species and contribute to the current taxonomic confusion.ResultsData from four mtDNA genes, from 116 individuals, and one nuclear gene, from 119 individuals, provides the first evidence of frequent introgression events via historical and recent interspecific hybridizations among six Chinese Lepus species. Remarkably, the mtDNA of L. mandshuricus was completely replaced by mtDNA from L. timidus and L. sinensis. Analysis of the nuclear DNA sequence revealed a high proportion of heterozygous genotypes containing alleles from two divergent clades and that several haplotypes were shared among species, suggesting repeated and recent introgression. Furthermore, results from the present analyses suggest that Chinese hares belong to eight species.ConclusionThis study provides a framework for understanding the patterns of speciation and the taxonomy of this clade. The existence of morphological intermediates and atypical mitochondrial gene genealogies resulting from frequent hybridization events likely contribute to the current taxonomic confusion of Chinese hares. The present study also demonstrated that nuclear gene sequence could offer a powerful complementary data set with mtDNA in tracing a complete evolutionary history of recently diverged species.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reticulate evolution: frequent introgressive hybridization among chinese hares (genus lepus) revealed by analyses of multiple mitochondrial and nuclear DNA loci

Liu

Arnold

et al. 2011

BMC Evol Biol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Biased geographical distribution of mitochondrial DNA that passed the species barrier from mountain hares to brown hares (genusLepus): an effect of genetic incompatibility and mating behaviour?

Thulin

Tegelström

2002

Journal of Zoology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Through interspeci®c hybridization and subsequent backcrossing, genes and genomes may be transferred over the species barrier. In Sweden, the introduced brown hare Lepus europaeus hybridizes with the native mountain hare L. timidus. To investigate the direction and the extent of transfer of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) between the species, the mtDNA haplotypes were screened in 522 brown hares and 149 mountain hares from areas of sympatry and allopatry. A total of 51 brown hares with mountain hare mtDNA, but no mountain hares with brown hare mtDNA were detected. Thus, mtDNA transfer over the species barrier is directed from mountain hares to brown hares. We argue that frequency-dependent hybridization and/or interspeci®c male competition mediates this directionality. Further, the percentage of brown hares with transmitted mountain hare mtDNA was lower in areas of former species sympatry (0.6%) compared to areas of current sympatry (15%). Thus, the transferred mtDNA may disappear from brown hare populations if there is no continuous input through hybridization. We suggest that specimens with an alien mtDNA experience a ®tness reduction as a result of a functional incompatibility between the cytoplasmic mitochondrial genomes and the cell nucleus.

show abstract

Untitled

Suchentrunk

Mamuris²,

Sfougaris³

et al. 2003

Biochemical Genetics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Allozyme variability of 91 brown hares (Lepus europaeus) from seven regions in Greece was compared to existing data of Bulgarian populations to test the hypothesis of the occurrence ofspecific alleles in Greece, likely stemming from an isolated Late Pleistocene refugial population in the southern Balkans. This hypothesis is particularly suggested by some subfossil Late Pleistocene hare remains in Greece and the reported high mtDNA diversity in Greek hares. Allozymic diversity could be higher in Greek hares than in hares from neighboring regions as a result of the accumulation of variants in a long-lasting Pleistocene refugium. Conversely, Greek hares could exhibit reduced genetic diversity because of long-lasting low effective population sizes during the Late Glacial Maximum and a lower chance of postglacial gene flow from other populations into this rather marginal part in the southern Balkans. Horizontal starch gel electrophoresis of proteins from 35 loci revealed three alleles (Es-1(-162), Pep-2(114), Mpi(88)) at low frequencies, which were not found in Bulgarian or any other brown hare population. In contrast, some alleles from the populations from Bulgaria and other regions of Europe were absent in the Greek samples. Population genetic statistics indicated only a slight tendency of increased gene pool diversity in Greek hares, little substructuring in Greek and Bulgarian populations, respectively, as well as an only slightly lower level of gene flow between the two neighboring regions, as compared to the gene flow within each region. The results conform to the hypothesis of a Late Pleistocene refugial population in the southern Balkans, with some few specific nuclear gene pool characteristics, but little effect on the overall genetic differentiation between Greek and Bulgarian hares.

show abstract

High mtDNA haplotype diversity among introduced Swedish brown haresLepus europaeus

Cited by 5 publications

References 40 publications

Reticulate evolution: frequent introgressive hybridization among chinese hares (genus lepus) revealed by analyses of multiple mitochondrial and nuclear DNA loci

Reticulate evolution: frequent introgressive hybridization among chinese hares (genus lepus) revealed by analyses of multiple mitochondrial and nuclear DNA loci

Biased geographical distribution of mitochondrial DNA that passed the species barrier from mountain hares to brown hares (genusLepus): an effect of genetic incompatibility and mating behaviour?

Untitled

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About