| 1. |
- Bannikova, Anna A., et al.
(författare)
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Who are you, Griselda? A replacement name for a new genus of the Asiatic short-tailed shrews (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) : molecular and morphological analyses with the discussion of tribal affinities
- 2019
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Ingår i: ZooKeys. - : Pensoft Publishers. - 1313-2989 .- 1313-2970. ; :888, s. 133-158
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The first genetic study of the holotype of the Gansu short-tailed shrew, Blarinella griselda Thomas, 1912, is presented. The mitochondrial analysis demonstrated that the type specimen of B. griselda is close to several recently collected specimens from southern Gansu, northern Sichuan and Shaanxi, which are highly distinct from the two species of Asiatic short-tailed shrews of southern Sichuan, Yunnan, and Vietnam, B. quadraticauda and B. wardi. Our analysis of four nuclear genes supported the placement of B. griselda as sister to B. quadraticauda / B. wardi, with the level of divergence between these two clades corresponding to that among genera of Soricinae. A new generic name, Parablarinella, is proposed for the Gansu short-tailed shrew. Karyotypes of Parablarinella griselda (2n = 49, NFa = 50) and B. quadraticauda (2n = 49, NFa = 62) from southern Gansu are described. The tribal affinities of Blarinellini and Blarinini are discussed.
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| 2. |
- Lindqvist, Charlotte, et al.
(författare)
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The Laptev Sea walrus Odobenus rosmarus laptevi: an enigma revisited
- 2009
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Ingår i: Zoologica Scripta. - : Wiley. - 0300-3256 .- 1463-6409. ; 38:2, s. 113-127
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is in some current systematic schemes divided into three subspecies: O. r. rosmarus in the North Atlantic, O. r. divergens in the North Pacific and O. r. laptevi in the Laptev Sea. These three subspecies have been described as differing in body size, but the taxonomic status of O. r. laptevi is disputed. The current study applies molecular and morphometric methods to assess the taxonomic status of O. r. laptevi and to analyse the systematic and phylogeographic relationships between the three purported walrus subspecies. Tusk length and tusk circumference were measured from the few skulls available of O. r. laptevi, and the obtained values were within the ranges reported for Pacific walruses. Thus, morphologically, subspecies status for O. r. laptevi is not supported according to the Amadon Mayr '75% rule'. Phylogenetic analyses and haplotype networks based on mitochondrial nucleotide sequence data of NADH dehydrogenase 1, 16S rRNA, cytochrome oxidase I and the D-loop of the control region of the historic O. r. laptevi bone material and contemporary O. r. rosmarus and O. r. divergens showed that the Laptev Sea walrus groups with individuals from the North Pacific. Thus, the mitochondrial sequence data do not support the recognition of three walrus subspecies as reciprocally monophyletic evolutionary units with independent evolutionary histories. Only O. r. rosmarus and O. r. divergens meet this criterion with the present sampling. Accordingly, we recommend that Odobenus r. laptevi be abandoned and the Laptev walrus instead be recognized as the westernmost population of the Pacific walrus, Odobenus r. divergens. However, further research is recommended to assess whether the Laptev walrus could be considered as a significant unit in terms of conservation and management, since it is unique in several ecological parameters.
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| 3. |
- Prost, Stefan, et al.
(författare)
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Genomic analyses show extremely perilous conservation status of African and Asiatic cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)
- 2022
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Ingår i: Molecular Ecology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0962-1083 .- 1365-294X. ; 31:16, s. 4208-4223
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We live in a world characterized by biodiversity loss and global environmental change. The extinction of large carnivores can have ramifying effects on ecosystems like an uncontrolled increase in wild herbivores, which in turn can have knock-on impacts on vegetation regeneration and communities. Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) serve important ecosystem functions as apex predators; yet, they are quickly heading towards an uncertain future. Threatened by habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict and illegal trafficking, there are only approximately 7100 individuals remaining in nature. We present the most comprehensive genome-wide analysis of cheetah phylogeography and conservation genomics to date, assembling samples from nearly the entire current and past species' range. We show that their phylogeography is more complex than previously thought, and that East African cheetahs (A. j. raineyi) are genetically distinct from Southern African individuals (A. j. jubatus), warranting their recognition as a distinct subspecies. We found strong genetic differentiation between all classically recognized subspecies, thus refuting earlier findings that cheetahs show only little differentiation. The strongest differentiation was observed between the Asiatic and all the African subspecies. We detected high inbreeding in the Critically Endangered Iranian (A. j. venaticus) and North-western (A. j. hecki) subspecies, and show that overall cheetahs, along with snow leopards, have the lowest genome-wide heterozygosity of all the big cats. This further emphasizes the cheetah's perilous conservation status. Our results provide novel and important information on cheetah phylogeography that can support evidence-based conservation policy decisions to help protect this species. This is especially relevant in light of ongoing and proposed translocations across subspecies boundaries, and the increasing threats of illegal trafficking.
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