Post-Pleistocene range expansion of the recently imperiled eastern little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus lucifugus) from a single southern refugium.

ABSTRACT: Myotis lucifugus, once among the most widespread and common bats in North America, has been forecast to be extirpated east of the Rockies in as few as 16 years by the spread of white-nose syndrome. Recent genetic research has demonstrated that this species is paraphyletic and part of a broader species complex; however, only one lineage (Myotis lucifugus lucifugus [M. l. lucifugus]) is present in eastern North America. I used molecular tools and niche modeling to validate this and investigate the role that historical biogeography has played in the phylogenetic and population genetic structure of this species to determine if the eastern subspecies represents an evolutionarily distinct population.To establish the genetic structure within M. l. lucifugus, I densely sampled maternity colonies i

SUBMITTER: Dixon MD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3287298 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature