Spatiotemporal analyses suggest the role of glacial history and the ice-free corridor in shaping American badger population genetic variation.

ABSTRACT: Recurring glacial cycles through the Quaternary period drastically altered the size and distribution of natural populations of North American flora and fauna. The "southerly refugia model" has been the longstanding framework for testing the effects of glaciation on contemporary genetic patterns; however, insights from ancient DNA have contributed to the reconstruction of more complex histories for some species. The American badger, Taxidea taxus, provides an interesting species for exploring the genetic legacy of glacial history, having been hypothesized to have postglacially emerged from a single, southerly refugium to recolonize northern latitudes. However, previous studies have lacked genetic sampling from areas where distinct glacial refugia have been hypothesized, including the

SUBMITTER: Ford BM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7417222 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature