Genetic evidence for post-glacial expansion from a southern refugium in the eastern moa (Emeus crassus).

ABSTRACT: Cycles of glacial expansion and contraction throughout the Pleistocene drove increases and decreases, respectively, in the geographical range and population size of many animal species. Genetic data have revealed that during glacial maxima the distribution of many Eurasian animals was restricted to small refugial areas, from which species expanded to reoccupy parts of their former range as the climate warmed. It has been suggested that the extinct eastern moa (Emeus crassus)-a large, flightless bird from New Zealand-behaved analogously during glacial maxima, possibly surviving only in a restricted area of lowland habitat in the southern South Island of New Zealand during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). However, previous studies have lacked the power and geographical sampling to expl

SUBMITTER: Verry AJF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9091836 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature