Between the Balkans and the Baltic : phylogeography of a common vole mitochondrial DNA lineage limited to Central Europe

Stojak, J; McDevitt, A; Herman, J; Krystufek, B; Uhlikova, J; Purger, J; Lavrenchenko, L; Searle, J; Wojcik, J

Abstract

The common vole (Microtus arvalis) has been a model species of small mammal for studying
end-glacial colonization history. In the present study we expanded the sampling from
central and eastern Europe, analyzing contemporary genetic structure to identify the role of
a potential `northern glacial refugium', i.e. a refugium at a higher latitude than the traditional
Mediterranean refugia. Altogether we analyzed 786 cytochrome b (cytb) sequences (representing
mitochondrial DNA; mtDNA) from the whole of Europe, adding 177 new sequences
from central and eastern Europe, and we conducted analyses on eight microsatellite loci for
499 individuals (representing nuclear DNA) from central and eastern Europe, adding data
on 311 new specimens. Our new data fill gaps in the vicinity of the Carpathian Mountains,
the potential northern refugium, such that there is now dense sampling from the Balkans to
the Baltic Sea. Here we present evidence that the Eastern mtDNA lineage of the common
vole was present in the vicinity of this Carpathian refugium during the Last Glacial Maximum
and the Younger Dryas. The Eastern lineage expanded from this refugium to the Baltic and
shows low cytb nucleotide diversity in those most northerly parts of the distribution. Analyses
of microsatellites revealed a similar pattern but also showed little differentiation between
all of the populations sampled in central and eastern Europe.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 2, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Dec 16, 2016
• Publication Date: Dec 16, 2016
• Deposit Date: Dec 22, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 22, 2016
• Journal: PLoS ONE
• Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 12
• Pages: e0168621
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168621
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168621
• Additional Information: Funders : National Science Centre (Poland)