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Complex reticulate evolution of speckled brush‐furred rats ( Lophuromys ) in the Ethiopian centre of endemism
Author(s) -
Komarova Valeria A.,
Kostin Danila S.,
Bryja Josef,
Mikula Ondřej,
Bryjová Anna,
Čížková Dagmar,
Šumbera Radim,
Meheretu Yonas,
Lavrenchenko Leonid A.
Publication year - 2021
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.15891
Subject(s) - biology , introgression , endemism , ecology , reticulate evolution , genetic diversity , biodiversity , phylogenetic tree , species complex , evolutionary biology , biodiversity hotspot , reticulate , zoology , population , botany , biochemistry , demography , sociology , gene
The Ethiopian highlands represent a remarkable biodiversity ‘hot spot’ with a very high number of endemic species, even among vertebrates. Ethiopian representatives of a species complex of speckled brush‐furred rats ( Lophuromys flavopunctatus sensu lato) inhabit highland habitats ranging from low‐elevation forests to Afroalpine grasslands. These may serve as a suitable model for understanding evolutionary processes leading to high genetic and ecological diversity in montane biodiversity hot spots. Here, we analyse the most comprehensive genetic data set of this group, comprising 315 specimens (all nine putative Ethiopian Lophuromys taxa sampled across most of their distribution ranges) genotyped at one mitochondrial and four nuclear markers, and thousands of SNPs from ddRAD sequencing. We performed phylogenetic analyses, delimited species and mapped their distribution and estimated divergence time between species (under the species‐tree framework) and mitochondrial lineages. We found significant incongruence between mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenies, most probably caused by multiple interspecific introgression events. We discuss alternative scenarios of Ethiopian Lophuromys evolution, from retention of ancestral polymorphism to hybridization upon secondary contact of partially reproductively isolated lineages leading to reticulate evolution. Finally, we use the diversity of the speckled brush‐furred rats for the description of the main biogeographic patterns in the fauna of the Ethiopian highlands.