Quaternary history, population genetic structure and diversity of the cold-adapted Alpine newt Ichthyosaura alpestris in peninsular Italy.

ABSTRACT: Mediterranean peninsulas are major biodiversity hotspots, and cold-adapted species are an important component of this biodiversity. However, cold-adapted species contributed surprisingly little to our knowledge of the intimate links between Quaternary environmental changes, species' responses to these changes, and current patterns of intraspecific biodiversity. Here, we investigated the genetic structure and evolutionary history of a cold-adapted amphibian, the Alpine newt Ichthyosaura alpestris, within the Italian peninsula. Nuclear and mitochondrial markers consistently identified three distinct genetic lineages, whose divergence dates to the Early Pleistocene (1.9 and 0.8 million years ago). Our results show that the Italian peninsula provided multiple Pleistocene refugia to this cold-a

SUBMITTER: Chiocchio A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5462806 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature