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Environmental margin and island evolution in M iddle E astern populations of the E gyptian fruit bat
Author(s) -
Hulva P.,
Marešová T.,
Dundarova H.,
Bilgin R.,
Benda P.,
Bartonička T.,
Horáček I.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1111/mec.12078
Subject(s) - biology , population , isolation by distance , genetic structure , gene flow , domestication , ecology , range (aeronautics) , hybrid zone , evolutionary biology , genetic variation , demography , genetics , gene , materials science , sociology , composite material
Here, we present a study of the population genetic architecture and microevolution of the Egyptian fruit bat ( R ousettus aegyptiacus ) at the environmental margins in the Middle East using mitochondrial sequences and nuclear microsatellites. In contrast to the rather homogenous population structure typical of cave‐dwelling bats in climax tropical ecosystems, a relatively pronounced isolation by distance and population diversification was observed. The evolution of this pattern could be ascribed to the complicated demographic history at higher latitudes related to the range margin fragmentation and complex geomorphology of the studied area. Lineages from E ast A frica and A rabia show divergent positions. Within the northwestern unit, the most marked pattern of the microsatellite data set is connected with insularity, as demonstrated by the separate status of populations from S aharan oases and C yprus. These demes also exhibit a reduction in genetic variability, which is presumably connected with founder effects, drift and other potential factors related to island evolution as site‐specific selection. Genetic clustering indicates a semipermeability of the desert barriers in the S ahara and A rabian P eninsula and a corridor role of the N ile V alley. The results emphasize the role of the island environment in restricting the gene flow in megabats, which is also corroborated by biogeographic patterns within the family, and suggests the possibility of nascent island speciation on C yprus. Demographic analyses suggest that the colonization of the region was connected to the spread of agricultural plants; therefore, the peripatric processes described above might be because of or strengthened by anthropogenic changes in the environment.