Molecular phylogenetic characterization of common murine rodents from Manipur, Northeast India

Abstract

The Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia are hotspots of murine biodiversity, but no species from the Arakan Mountain system that demarcates the border between the two areas has been subjected to molecular phylogenetic analyses. We examined the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences in six murine species (the Rattus rattus species complex, R. norvegicus, R. nitidus, Berylmys manipulus, Niviventer sp. and Mus musculus) from Manipur, which is located at the western foot of the mountain range. The sequences of B. manipulus and Niviventer sp. examined here were distinct from available congeneric sequences in the databases, with sequence divergences of 10-15%. Substantial degrees of intrapopulation divergence were detected in R. nitidus and the R. rattus species complex from Manipur, implying ancient habitation of the species in this region, while the recent introduction by modern and prehistoric human activities was suggested for R. norvegicus and M. musculus, respectively. In the nuclear gene Mc1r, also analyzed here, the R. rattus species complex from Manipur was shown to possess allelic sequences related to those from the Indian subcontinent in addition to those from East Asia. These results not only fill gaps in the phylogenetic knowledge of each taxon examined but also provide valuable insight to better understand the biogeographic importance of the Arakan Mountain system in generating the species and genetic diversity of murine rodents.

Dental Shape Variation and Phylogenetic Signal in the Rattini Tribe Species of Mainland Southeast Asia

“…This might be due to the recent timing of divergence of closely related species, which now have highly diverged morphologies. For example, relative to other species of the Rattus genus, the sister species R. norvegicus and R. nitidus are not as morphologically similar as expected considering their close genetic relationship, but distant phylogenetic relationship with other Rattus species (Chingangbam et al 2015). The reason for the morphological divergence between R. nitidus and R. norvegicus is unclear.…”

“…The reason for the morphological divergence between R. nitidus and R. norvegicus is unclear. Understanding this is made difficult due to the fact the indigenous range of R. nitidus is not well established, because of extensive translocation likely in association with human agricultural patterns (Chingangbam et al 2015) and because R. nitidus and R. norvegicus live sympatrically in many regions (Aplin et al 2003). As a result, it is hard to infer all the ecological and environmental differences between these two species.…”

Population Genomics Reveals Speciation and Introgression between Brown Norway Rats and Their Sibling Species

“…It is the first animal species domesticated for purely scientific reasons and has become a vital model organism with more than 500 laboratory strains for life sciences and biomedical purposes for over 150 years ( Jacob 1999 ; Aitman et al 2008 ). Although the phylogeny of the BN rat has been reconstructed using limited mitochondrial gene or LINE-1 retrotransposon sequences ( Verneau et al 1998 ; Rowe et al 2011 ; Chingangbam et al 2015 ), the reliable time frame for when BN rats became a separate species ( Verneau et al 1998 ; Pages et al 2010 ), and the genomic information underlying their colonization capabilities still remain unclear. The Himalayan field rat ( R. nitidus , HF rat) is a sibling species of the BN rat ( Verneau et al 1998 ; Pages et al 2010 ).…”

Late Quaternary Environmental and Human Impacts on the Mitochondrial DNA Diversity of Four Commensal Rodents in Myanmar

“…In addition, Myanmar harbors its own species and lineages, and it is essential to understand the functions of physical barriers such as mountain ranges in the emergence of genetic variation within these lineages. In the Indo-Malayan region, the Arakan Mountain system on the border of India and Myanmar may act as a geographic barrier, dividing the region into two parts (Chingangbam et al 2015). Mountain ranges have been shown to act as borders between species or local intraspecies phylogroups in species of the genus Mus (Shimada et al 2007(Shimada et al , 2009(Shimada et al , 2010Myat Myat Zaw et al 2019).…”