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Published on: July 11, 2025
Molecular phylogenetics and phylogeographic structure of Sorex bedfordiae based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA
Shunde Chen1, Zhiyu Sun2, Kai He3
1Key Laboratory of Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China; College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; Mammal Ecology and Evolution Research Group, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China.
Abstract:
The southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is characterized by complex topography and a discontinuous landscape, creating a sky island situation. However, the way topography shapes genetic structures and demographic histories of endemic species has not been well studied. We examined the phylogeographic pattern and demographic histories of Sorex bedfordiae, a dispersal-limited small mammal, using three nuclear genes [1977bp] and two mitochondrial genes [1794bp] with comprehensive molecular approaches. We recovered five well-supported clades whose distributions are along mountain ridges and roughly subdivided by large rivers. Demographic expansions in the middle Pleistocene were strongly supported by both nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Our results support the hypothesis that sky island topography and river systems strongly affect the genetic structure of non-aquatic terrestrial species. We further clarify that S. bedfordiae and S. cylindricauda are valid sibling species, whereas S. excelsus is most likely a geographic subspecies of S. bedfordiae.
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