The origin of Swedish and Norwegian populations of the Eurasian harvest mouse (Micromys minutus)

Abstract

The harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) occurs throughout most of continental Europe. There are also two isolated and recently discovered populations on the Scandinavian peninsula, in Sweden and Norway. Here, we investigate the origin of these populations through analyses of mitochondrial DNA. We found that the two populations on the Scandinavian peninsula have different mtDNA haplotypes. A comparison of our haplotypes to published sequences from most of Europe showed that all Swedish and Norwegian haplotypes are most closely related to the haplotypes in harvest mice from Denmark. Hence, the two populations seem to represent independent colonisations but originate from the same geographical area. We discuss the age of the Swedish and Norwegian populations and suggest that both have been introduced recently.

Unveiling the Genetic Diversity of Declining Population of the Harvest Mouse Micromys minutus in Italy

“…Despite showing limited dispersal abilities and movement patterns, crop trade routes and the pet trade may have helped harvest mice to conquer several parts of their current range [21,31,60]. Differently from what was previously reported [21], accidental introductions of harvest mice did not only occur on islands, but also on the mainland, particularly at the borders of the natural distribution range, e.g., in Northern Europe [27]. These human-mediated animal movements might have promoted the genetic homogenization of the harvest mouse throughout its range [61].…”

“…The importance of the harvest mouse as a prey for many mammalian carnivores and diurnal/nocturnal raptor birds implies its conservation interest [26]. Phylogeographic investigations on this species have been conducted through the cytochrome-b gene of the mitochondrial DNA, showing a very low nucleotide divergence between Europe and Eastern Asia [21,27]. Northern Vietnam hosts a different species, the Far East harvest mouse Micromys erythrotis [28].…”