Comparative phylogeography and asymmetric hybridization between cryptic bat species (original) (raw)
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Heredity, 2015
Understanding of the movements of species at multiple scales is essential to appreciate patterns of population connectivity and in some cases, the potential for pathogen transmission. The serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus) is a common and widely distributed species in Europe where it frequently harbours European bat lyssavirus type 1 (EBLV-1), a virus causing rabies and transmissible to humans. In the United Kingdom, it is rare, with a distribution restricted to south of the country and so far the virus has never been found there. We investigated the genetic structure and gene flow of E. serotinus across the England and continental Europe. Greater genetic structuring was found in England compared with continental Europe. Nuclear data suggest a single population on the continent, although further work with more intensive sampling is required to confirm this, while mitochondrial sequences indicate an east-west substructure. In contrast, three distinct populations were found in England using microsatellite markers, and mitochondrial diversity was very low. Evidence of nuclear admixture indicated strong male-mediated gene flow among populations. Differences in connectivity could contribute to the high viral prevalence on the continent in contrast with the United Kingdom. Although the English Channel was previously thought to restrict gene flow, our data indicate relatively frequent movement from the continent to England highlighting the potential for movement of EBLV-1 into the United Kingdom.
The Iberian contribution to cryptic diversity in European bats
Acta Chiropterologica, 2006
We investigate the contribution of the Iberian bat fauna to the cryptic diversity in Europe using mitochondrial (cytb and ND1) and nuclear (RAG2) DNA sequences. For each of the 28 bat species known for Iberia, samples covering a wide geographic range within Spain were compared to samples from the rest of Europe. In this general screening, almost 20% of the Iberian species showed important mitochondrial discontinuities (K2P distance values > 5%) either within the Iberian or between Iberian and other European samples. Within Eptesicus serotinus and Myotis nattereri, levels of genetic divergence between lineages exceeded 16%, indicating that these taxa represent a complex of several biological species. Other well-differentiated lineages (K2P distances between 5-10%) appeared within Hypsugo savii, Pipistrellus kuhlii and Plecotus auritus, suggesting the existence of further cryptic diversity. Most unsuspected lineages seem restricted to Iberia, although two have crossed the Pyrenees to reach, at least, Switzerland.
Molecular …, 2007
The distribution of genetic variability across a species' range can provide valuable insights into colonization history. To assess the relative importance of European and Asian refugia in shaping current levels of genetic variation in the greater horseshoe bats, we applied a microsatellite-based approach to data collected from 56 localities ranging from the UK to Japan. A decline in allelic richness from west Asia to the UK and analyses of F ST both imply a northwestward colonization across Europe. However, sharp discontinuities in gene frequencies within Europe and between the Balkans and west Asia (Syria/Russia) are consistent with suture zones following expansion from multiple refugia, and a lack of recent gene flow from Asia Minor. Together, these results suggest European populations originated from west Asia in the ancient past, and experienced a more recent range expansion since the Last Glacial Maximum. Current populations in central Europe appear to originate from the Balkans and those from west Europe from either Iberia and/or Italy. Comparisons of R ST and F ST suggest that stepwise mutation has contributed to differentiation between island and continental populations (France/UK and China/Japan) and also among distant samples. However, pairwise R ST values between distant populations appear to be unreliable, probably due to size homoplasy. Our findings also highlight two priorities for conservation. First, stronger genetic subdivision within the UK than across 4000 km of continental Eurasia is most likely the result of population fragmentation and highlights the need to maintain gene flow in this species. Second, deep splits within China and between Europe and China are indicative of cryptic taxonomic divisions which need further investigation.
Molecular …, 2009
Phylogeographical studies are typically based on haplotype data, occasionally on nuclear markers such as microsatellites, but rarely combine both. This is unfortunate because the use of markers with contrasting modes of inheritance and rates of evolution might provide a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of a species' history. Here we present a detailed study of the phylogeography of the greater horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, using 1098 bp of the mitochondrial ND2 gene from 45 localities from across its Palaearctic range to infer population history. In addition, we re-analysed a large microsatellite data set available for this species and compared the results of both markers to infer population relationships and the historical processes influencing them. We show that mtDNA, the most popular marker in phylogeography studies, yielded a misleading result, and would have led us to conclude erroneously that a single expansion had taken place in Europe. Only by combining the mitochondrial and microsatellite data sets are we able to reconstruct the species' history and show two colonization events in Europe, one before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and one after it. Combining markers also revealed the importance of Asia Minor as an ancient refugium for this species and a source population for the expansion of the greater horseshoe bat into Europe before the LGM.
Phylogeographic Aspects of Bat Lyssaviruses in Europe: A Review
During the last few decades bat lyssaviruses have become the topic of intensive molecular and epidemiological investigations. Since ancient times rhabdoviruses have caused fatal encephalitis in humans which has led to research into effective strategies for their eradication. Modelling of potential future cross-species virus transmissions forms a substantial component of the recent infection biology of rabies. In this article we summarise the available data on the phylogeography of both bats and lyssaviruses in Europe and the adjacent regions, especially in the contact zone between the Palearctic and Ethiopian realms. Within these zones three bat families are present with high potential for cross-species transmission and the spread of lyssaviruses in Phylogroup II to Europe (part of the western Palearctic). The lack of effective therapies for rabies viruses in Phylogroups II and III generates impetus for additional phylogenetic and virological research within this geographical region.
Heredity, 2009
The meridional serotine bat Eptesicus isabellinus is found in North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. We analyzed the genetic structure of E. isabellinus at two different geographic scales to reveal the historical and ecological patterns that have shaped its populations. The role of the Straits of Gibraltar as an isolating barrier between African and Iberian populations is evaluated and the degree of genetic structure and female-mediated gene flow was assessed at a local scale between neighboring colonies. Populations of E. isabellinus from Iberia and northern Morocco show little genetic divergence and share mtDNA haplotypes, indicating that the Straits of Gibraltar are neither an impediment to dispersal nor a cause of genetic differentiation. Our results also suggest that E. isabellinus may have dispersed from western Andalusia into northern Morocco after the last glacial period. At a smaller geographic scale, the colonies studied showed high variation in genetic variability and structure, indicating that no female-mediated gene flow is present. This pattern is consistent with a described pattern of independent endemic viral circulation of the bat rabies virus EBLV-1, which was found when studying rabies dynamics in the same serotine bat colonies.
Phylogeography, Population Dynamics, and Molecular Evolution of European Bat Lyssaviruses
Journal of Virology, 2005
European bat lyssaviruses types 1 and 2 (EBLV-1 and EBLV-2) are widespread in Europe, although little is known of their evolutionary history. We undertook a comprehensive sequence analysis to infer the selection pressures, rates of nucleotide substitution, age of genetic diversity, geographical origin, and population growth rates of EBLV-1. Our study encompassed data from 12 countries collected over a time span of 35 years and focused on the glycoprotein (G) and nucleoprotein (N) genes. We show that although the two subtypes of EBLV-1-EBLV-1a and EBLV-1b-have both grown at a low exponential rate since their introduction into Europe, they have differing population structures and dispersal patterns. Furthermore, there were strong constraints against amino acid change in both EBLV-1 and EBLV-2, as reflected in a low ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions per site, particularly in EBLV-1b. Our inferred rate of nucleotide substitution in EBLV-1, approximately 5 ؋ 10 ؊5 substitutions per site per year, was also one of the lowest recorded for RNA viruses and implied that the current genetic diversity in the virus arose 500 to 750 years ago. We propose that the slow evolution of EBLVs reflects their distinctive epidemiology in bats, where they occupy a relatively stable fitness peak.
Desmodus rotundus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae; Desmodontinae) is the most common vampire bat and has a broad distribution, ranging from southern Mexico to central Chile in the west, and Paraguay and northern Argentina in the east of South America (Koopman 1988). Because of its feeding habit, this bat is considered the main source of rabies transmission to cattle. Although this species has a large spectrum of morphological variability throughout its range, thus far no study has examined the distribution of genetic lineages over its geographic range. Four geographically circumscribed clades ofD. rotundus were described in the Brazilian territory on the basis of mitochondrial sequence analyses: southern Atlantic forest (SAF), northern Atlantic forest (NAF), Pantanal (PAN) and Amazon plus Cerrado (AMC) clade. The differentiation among these clades is strongly supported statistically, although the phylogenetic relationship between them remains uncertain. The extremely high levels of sequence divergence that were found between clades (ranging from 6% to 11%) are the highest ever described for a Neotropical bat species and cannot be explained by female philopatry alone. This indicates that D. rotundus comprises two or more distinct, possibly cryptic species. The biogeographic pattern described for this bat is similar to those described for other bats and terrestrial mammals, suggesting geographical congruence between historical vicariant processes, including likely vicariant events between north and south Atlantic Forest and between the Atlantic Forest and the Amazon.
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008
Although two cryptic pipistrelle bat species, Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus, belong among the most common bat species in Europe, it is still unclear whether they can migrate over long distances between summer and winter roosts. Long-distance migratory species may be expected to show low levels of genetic structuring in large areas due to regular mixing of the gene pool by mating that occurs during migration and/or hibernation. Conversely, the dispersal of gametes in sedentary species is spatially restricted, populations are more genetically structured, and isolation by relatively short distance is visible. By analysing diversity of highly variable microsatellites within and among summer colonies of both studied species in central Europe, we found that differentiation between populations is very weak. Both classical FST and Bayesian clustering approach failed to detect genetic structure among colonies and there was no significant isolation-by-distance pattern. The analyses of relatedness, however, revealed that individuals within colonies are more related than random suggesting philopatry of at least one sex. The results were very similar for the two species. The high level of gene flow among central European populations, even on large geographic distances, is discussed in relation with migrations, dispersal, and mating behaviour.