Signals of recent spatial expansions in the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus).

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pleistocene events have shaped the phylogeography of many taxa worldwide. Their genetic signatures in tropical species have been much less explored than in those living in temperate regions. We analysed the genetic structure of a Malagasy primate species, a mouse lemur with a wide distribution (M. murinus), in order to investigate such phylogeographic processes on a large tropical island. We also evaluated the effects of anthropogenic pressures (fragmentation/deforestation) and natural features (geographic distance, rivers) on genetic structure in order to complement our understanding of past and present processes of genetic differentiation.

Results

The analysis of the mitochondrial D-loop sequences of 195 samples from 15 study sites (10 from a continuous forest a

SUBMITTER: Schneider N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2875232 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature