Historical biogeography of the leopard (Panthera pardus) and its extinct Eurasian populations.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Resolving the historical biogeography of the leopard (Panthera pardus) is a complex issue, because patterns inferred from fossils and from molecular data lack congruence. Fossil evidence supports an African origin, and suggests that leopards were already present in Eurasia during the Early Pleistocene. Analysis of DNA sequences however, suggests a more recent, Middle Pleistocene shared ancestry of Asian and African leopards. These contrasting patterns led researchers to propose a two-stage hypothesis of leopard dispersal out of Africa: an initial Early Pleistocene colonisation of Asia and a subsequent replacement by a second colonisation wave during the Middle Pleistocene. The status of Late Pleistocene European leopards within this scenario is unclear: were these popula

SUBMITTER: Paijmans JLA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6198532 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature