10.5061/DRYAD.K68K8
Hulva, P.
Charles University
Maresova, Tereza
Charles University
Dundarova, Cheliana
Charles University
Bilgin, Rasit
Boğaziçi University
Benda, Petr
Charles University
Bartonicka, Tomas
Masaryk University
Horacek, Ivan
Charles University
Data from: Environmental margin and island evolution in Middle Eastern
populations of the Egyptian fruit bat
Dryad
dataset
2012
Rousettus aegyptiacus
Holocene
2012-09-14T14:24:23Z
2012-09-14T14:24:23Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.12078
228070 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Here, we present a study of the population genetic architecture and
microevolution of the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus 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 East Africa and Arabia show divergent positions. Within the
northwestern unit, the most marked pattern of the microsatellite dataset
is connected with insularity, as demonstrated by the separate status of
populations from Saharan oases and Cyprus. 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 Sahara and Arabian
Peninsula and a corridor role of the Nile Valley. The results emphasizes
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
Cyprus. 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.
Hulva_Rousettus_mt_msInformation about samples used in the study
"Environmental margin and island evolution in Middle Eastern
populations of the Egyptian fruit bat" by Hulva et al. including the
locality, GenBank accession number (partial sequence of mitochondrial
control region) and the genotype at 20 nuclear microsatellite loci for
each individual.
Middle East