Speciation on the Roof of the World: Parallel Fast Evolution of Cryptic Mole Vole Species in the Pamir-Alay—Tien Shan Region
Speciation is not always accompanied by morphological changes; numerous cryptic closely related species were revealed using genetic methods. In natural populations of <i>Ellobius tancrei</i> (2<i>n</i> = 54–30) and <i>E. alaicus</i> (2<i>n</i> = 52–48)...
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/8/1751 |
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| author | Aleksey Bogdanov Valentina Tambovtseva Sergey Matveevsky Irina Bakloushinskaya |
| author_facet | Aleksey Bogdanov Valentina Tambovtseva Sergey Matveevsky Irina Bakloushinskaya |
| author_sort | Aleksey Bogdanov |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Speciation is not always accompanied by morphological changes; numerous cryptic closely related species were revealed using genetic methods. In natural populations of <i>Ellobius tancrei</i> (2<i>n</i> = 54–30) and <i>E. alaicus</i> (2<i>n</i> = 52–48) of the Pamir-Alay and Tien Shan, the chromosomal variability due to Robertsonian translocations has been revealed. Here, by comprehensive genetic analysis (karyological analyses as well as sequencing of mitochondrial genes, <i>cytb</i> and <i>COI</i>, and nuclear genes, <i>XIST</i> and <i>IRBP</i>) of <i>E. alaicus</i> and <i>E. tancrei</i> samples from the Inner Tien Shan, the Alay Valley, and the Pamir-Alay, we demonstrated fast and independent diversification of these species. We described an incompletely consistent polymorphism of the mitochondrial and nuclear markers, which arose presumably because of habitat fragmentation in the highlands, rapid karyotype changes, and hybridization of different intraspecific varieties and species. The most intriguing results are a low level of genetic distances calculated from mitochondrial and nuclear genes between some phylogenetic lines of <i>E. tancrei</i> and <i>E. alaicus,</i> as well significant species-specific chromosome variability in both species. The chromosomal rearrangements are what most clearly define species specificity and provide further diversification. The “mosaicism” and inconsistency in polymorphism patterns are evidence of rapid speciation in these mammals. |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:47:17Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-32b6989b3b0e4536b5bdfc67e4d1bf192023-11-19T01:55:09ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292023-08-01138175110.3390/life13081751Speciation on the Roof of the World: Parallel Fast Evolution of Cryptic Mole Vole Species in the Pamir-Alay—Tien Shan RegionAleksey Bogdanov0Valentina Tambovtseva1Sergey Matveevsky2Irina Bakloushinskaya3Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, RussiaKoltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, RussiaVavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, RussiaKoltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, RussiaSpeciation is not always accompanied by morphological changes; numerous cryptic closely related species were revealed using genetic methods. In natural populations of <i>Ellobius tancrei</i> (2<i>n</i> = 54–30) and <i>E. alaicus</i> (2<i>n</i> = 52–48) of the Pamir-Alay and Tien Shan, the chromosomal variability due to Robertsonian translocations has been revealed. Here, by comprehensive genetic analysis (karyological analyses as well as sequencing of mitochondrial genes, <i>cytb</i> and <i>COI</i>, and nuclear genes, <i>XIST</i> and <i>IRBP</i>) of <i>E. alaicus</i> and <i>E. tancrei</i> samples from the Inner Tien Shan, the Alay Valley, and the Pamir-Alay, we demonstrated fast and independent diversification of these species. We described an incompletely consistent polymorphism of the mitochondrial and nuclear markers, which arose presumably because of habitat fragmentation in the highlands, rapid karyotype changes, and hybridization of different intraspecific varieties and species. The most intriguing results are a low level of genetic distances calculated from mitochondrial and nuclear genes between some phylogenetic lines of <i>E. tancrei</i> and <i>E. alaicus,</i> as well significant species-specific chromosome variability in both species. The chromosomal rearrangements are what most clearly define species specificity and provide further diversification. The “mosaicism” and inconsistency in polymorphism patterns are evidence of rapid speciation in these mammals.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/8/1751speciationcryptic speciesRobertsonian translocationsmitochondrial and nuclear gene variability<i>Ellobius</i>Mammalia |
| spellingShingle | Aleksey Bogdanov Valentina Tambovtseva Sergey Matveevsky Irina Bakloushinskaya Speciation on the Roof of the World: Parallel Fast Evolution of Cryptic Mole Vole Species in the Pamir-Alay—Tien Shan Region Life speciation cryptic species Robertsonian translocations mitochondrial and nuclear gene variability <i>Ellobius</i> Mammalia |
| title | Speciation on the Roof of the World: Parallel Fast Evolution of Cryptic Mole Vole Species in the Pamir-Alay—Tien Shan Region |
| title_full | Speciation on the Roof of the World: Parallel Fast Evolution of Cryptic Mole Vole Species in the Pamir-Alay—Tien Shan Region |
| title_fullStr | Speciation on the Roof of the World: Parallel Fast Evolution of Cryptic Mole Vole Species in the Pamir-Alay—Tien Shan Region |
| title_full_unstemmed | Speciation on the Roof of the World: Parallel Fast Evolution of Cryptic Mole Vole Species in the Pamir-Alay—Tien Shan Region |
| title_short | Speciation on the Roof of the World: Parallel Fast Evolution of Cryptic Mole Vole Species in the Pamir-Alay—Tien Shan Region |
| title_sort | speciation on the roof of the world parallel fast evolution of cryptic mole vole species in the pamir alay tien shan region |
| topic | speciation cryptic species Robertsonian translocations mitochondrial and nuclear gene variability <i>Ellobius</i> Mammalia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/8/1751 |
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