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Alessio Mortelliti - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Population genetic structure and sex-biased dispersal of the hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) in a continuous and in a fragmented landscape in central Italy
Conservation Genetics, 2017Co-Authors: L. Bani, Giulia Sozio, Stefano Fagiani, V. Orioli, G. Pisa, O. Dondina, E. Fabbri, E. Randi, Alessio MortellitiAbstract:Habitat fragmentation hinders the dispersal process, which, in turn, causes changes to the genetic variability of populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of fragmentation on the genetic population features of the hazel Dormouse ( Muscardinus avellanarius ), a small rodent living in forest habitats, using seven microsatellite loci. We compared (i) the genetic variability and population structure, (ii) the scale of the spatial structuring, and (iii) the possible presence and effect of a sex-biased dispersal in two populations living, respectively, in a continuous and in a fragmented landscape in central Italy. Although all microsatellite loci were always polymorphic, in the fragmented population the observed heterozygosity was usually lower than expected, and 5 out of 7 loci were not at Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium. The fragmented population was found to be strongly structured. These results showed that there was a hindrance of the gene flow between subpopulations, and in some cases even a virtual ecological isolation, as confirmed by the absence of covariation between the pairwise genetic and Euclidean distances. Some clues of female-biased dispersal were found, but even the dispersing sex showed dispersal problems in several cases. The strong differences in the genetic features between the continuous and fragmented population, indicate that the hazel Dormouse strongly suffers from habitat fragmentation. This happens even when several neighbouring habitats remnants persist and remain partially connected by verges along crop fields. Thus, the fragmented landscape needs urgent measures to restore ecological connectivity through a more effective management plan of the hedgerows network.
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evolutionary history and species delimitations a case study of the hazel Dormouse muscardinus avellanarius
Conservation Genetics, 2017Co-Authors: Alice Mouton, Rimvydas Juskaitis, Boris Krystufek, Maurizio Sarà, Giovanni Amori, Alessio Mortelliti, Andrea Grill, Alice Latinne, Ettore RandiAbstract:Robust identification of species and significant evolutionary units (ESUs) is essential to implement appropriate conservation strategies for endangered species. However, definitions of species or ESUs are numerous and sometimes controversial, which might lead to biased conclusions, with serious consequences for the management of endangered species. The hazel Dormouse, an arboreal rodent of conservation concern throughout Europe is an ideal model species to investigate the relevance of species identification for conservation purposes. This species is a member of the Gliridae family, which is protected in Europe and seriously threatened in the northern part of its range. We assessed the extent of genetic subdivision in the hazel Dormouse by sequencing one mitochondrial gene (cytb) and two nuclear genes (BFIBR, APOB) and genotyping 10 autosomal microsatellites. These data were analysed using a combination of phylogenetic analyses and species delimitation methods. Multilocus analyses revealed the presence of two genetically distinct lineages (approximately 11 % cytb genetic divergence, no nuclear alleles shared) for the hazel Dormouse in Europe, which presumably diverged during the Late Miocene. The phylogenetic patterns suggests that Muscardinus avellanarius populations could be split into two cryptic species respectively distributed in western and central-eastern Europe and Anatolia. However, the comparison of several species definitions and methods estimated the number of species between 1 and 10. Our results revealed the difficulty in choosing and applying an appropriate criterion and markers to identify species and highlight the fact that consensus guidelines are essential for species delimitation in the future. In addition, this study contributes to a better knowledge about the evolutionary history of the species.
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acorns were good until tannins were found factors affecting seed selection in the hazel Dormouse muscardinus avellanarius
Mammalian Biology, 2015Co-Authors: Alessio Mortelliti, Giulia Sozio, Leonardo AncillottoAbstract:Abstract Seed selection by forest rodents is based on several factors such as seed palatability, manipulation time and caloric content. The final result of this decision-making process has critical consequences on seed predation and dispersal, and thus on tree demography. Previous studies on seed selection have mainly focused on non-hibernating terrestrial rodents. Arboreal rodents may be less adapted to cope with seed defences, usually being more frugivorous. Furthermore, hibernating species need to accumulate fat reserves in autumn, which is when acorns are available and may be the only available resource. We selected the hazel Dormouse ( Muscardinus avellanarius , an arboreal hibernating rodent) as model species for our study and focused on three seeds which are an important constituent of the hazel Dormouse diet and which are characterized by different defensive strategies. We here report the results of a series of experiments targeted towards understanding the effects of manipulation time, energy intake and tannin content on seed selection by the hazel Dormouse and the effects of such selection on individuals’ body condition. Each of these factors was treated separately through a series of coupled food trials. Our results showed a clear order of consumption with first choice biased towards seeds with lower tannin content ( Q. pubescens vs Q. cerris ) and/or more caloric seeds ( C. avellana vs Q. pubescens ) despite the higher degree of mechanical protection of the former. Seeds with high levels of tannins led to weight decrease, despite the large amounts of seed mass ingested by dormice. Our results suggest that seed selection by the hazel Dormouse is targeted towards maximizing fat storage, which is pursued despite the cost of higher manipulation time.
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independent effects of habitat loss habitat fragmentation and structural connectivity on the distribution of two arboreal rodents
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2011Co-Authors: Alessio Mortelliti, Dario Capizzi, Giovanni Amori, Stefano Fagiani, Cristina Cervone, Barbara Pollini, Luigi BoitaniAbstract:Summary 1. Habitat loss must be distinguished from habitat fragmentation so that appropriate conservation management can be applied. Few studies have evaluated the independent effects of habitat loss and habitat fragmentation on the distribution of vertebrates, and none has evaluated the independent effect of changes in structural connectivity. We carried out a landscape-scale experiment to assess the independent contribution of these three processes and to examine what landscape scale factors affect the distribution of two forest-dependent arboreal rodents: the hazel Dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius and the red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris. 2. Habitat loss, rather than habitat fragmentation per se, was the major driver of distribution patterns for both species. As predicted, structural connectivity (hedgerow networks) played an important role in determining the distribution of the hazel Dormouse, but not of the red squirrel. 3. Our models predict that long lengths of hedgerows (>30 km) are unlikely to increase the probability of occurrence of hazel Dormouse in landscapes where there are low levels of forest cover (<5%–10%). 4. Synthesis and applications. Our empirical findings indicate that structural connectivity and habitat loss may have additive effects on vertebrate distribution. For the hazel Dormouse, improving structural connectivity will be ineffective if the amount of forest cover in the landscape is less than 5–10%. The key message from this study is that resources should not be invested in landscape linkages until their efficacy for the given level of suitable habitat has been assessed.
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Species’ surrogacy for conservation planning: caveats from comparing the response of three arboreal rodents to habitat loss and fragmentation
Biodiversity and Conservation, 2009Co-Authors: Alessio Mortelliti, Giulia Santulli Sanzo, Luigi BoitaniAbstract:The use of surrogate species in conservation planning has been applied with disappointing results on relatively large sets of species. It could still prove useful for optimizing conservation efforts when considering a small set of species with similar ecological requirements, however few field tests of this nature have been carried out. The aim of this research is to compare the response of three arboreal rodent species—the fat Dormouse ( Glis glis ), the hazel Dormouse ( Muscardinus avellanarius ) and the red squirrel ( Sciurus vulgaris )—to habitat loss and fragmentation, with the aim of identifying priorities for conservation and evaluating possible optimization of conservation efforts under different scenarios: habitat restoration and selection of focal patches. We studied the distribution of the three species in a sample of patches in a highly fragmented landscape in central Italy, using a patch-landscape scale approach. The distribution was studied by using hair tubes, nestboxes and nocturnal surveys. The three species showed analogous responses to increasing isolation and decreasing size of habitat patches; what differed however, was the magnitude of responses. Our results show possible application of surrogacy within this restricted group of species, however several caveats arise depending on the conservation strategy and available funding. If habitat restoration is the objective, then the fat Dormouse should be the target species for guiding size and isolation of patches. On the other hand, the magnitude of the differences and patch requirements for this species, question the feasibility of these conservation actions. If selection of focal patches for conservation is the objective then selecting the fat Dormouse as a focal/umbrella species would overlook areas suitable for the other two species. Feasible optimisation of conservation efforts may be possible only between the red squirrel and the hazel Dormouse.
David J Hodgson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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habitat preferences of hazel dormice muscardinus avellanarius and the effects of tree felling on their movement
Forest Ecology and Management, 2018Co-Authors: Cecily E D Goodwin, David J Hodgson, Sallie Bailey, Jonathan Bennie, Robbie A McdonaldAbstract:Abstract Modern management of multifunctional woodlands must address many and various demands, including for recreation, timber production and the conservation of biodiversity. The responses of individuals and populations of protected species to woodland management and habitat change are often not well understood. Using radio-tracking and LiDAR, we investigated the short-term habitat preferences of hazel dormice Muscardinus avellanarius, and their ranging and resting behaviours before and after small-scale tree felling, following a before-after control-impact design. Mean Dormouse home range size was 0.51 Ha (±0.07 SE, n = 16) and did not vary between sexes or among sites, though heavier animals had smaller ranges. Dormice preferred mid-height woodland habitat (5–10 m tall), with low proportions of high forest (over 10 m tall), for both ranging and resting sites. Ranging habitats were often located on woodland edges and relatively dense vegetation. Dormice preferentially used yew, rowan and hazel during ranging. There was no difference in the distances travelled by dormice before and after felling, but dormice in areas where trees had been felled showed less evidence of a shift in ranging area than those in unfelled areas. Although the limited response of dormice to tree felling activities has the potential to be associated with increased mortality and/or limited dispersal of individual dormice, the requirements of dormice for mid-successional and edge habitats that arise after tree removal means that a dynamic optimum of felling and regeneration is essential for conservation of Dormouse populations.
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voluntary recording scheme reveals ongoing decline in the united kingdom hazel Dormouse muscardinus avellanarius population
Mammal Review, 2017Co-Authors: Cecily E D Goodwin, David J Hodgson, Nida Alfulaij, Sallie Bailey, Steve Langton, Robbie A McdonaldAbstract:In order to conserve threatened species, knowledge of the status, trends and trajectories of populations is required. Co-ordinating collection of these data is challenging, especially for inconspicuous species such as the hazel Dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius. The UK National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP) is comprised of nest box recording schemes organised by volunteers. The number, size, and coverage of these schemes has varied over time. Such changes risk conflation of genuine population trends with covarying artefacts, including survey effort and expansion into sites of variable quality. We provide a robust analysis of count data from 400 NDMP sites from 1993 to 2014 and demonstrate that changes in counts are not an artefact of survey characteristics. In relation to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria, we conclude that Dormouse counts in nest boxes are an index of abundance appropriate to the taxon and allow the inference of population reduction of 72% (95% confidence intervals 62–79%) over the 22 years from 1993 to 2014, equivalent to a mean annual rate of decline of 5.8% (4.5–7.1%). This decline is ongoing. We highlight difficulties in assigning an IUCN Red List conservation category to a population, given variation in apparent trends over consecutive time-periods. In eight out of 13 sliding window intervals of 10 years from 1993 to 2014, the 95% confidence intervals overlap a decline of 50%. While average population decline over 10-year periods suggests that the hazel Dormouse should be classified as Vulnerable, a precautionary approach would not rule out the category of Endangered in the United Kingdom, given the lower bounds of population change estimates, the mean annual rate of decline and ongoing decline. Ongoing decline in the hazel Dormouse population is despite a high level of species protection and widespread conservation measures. The hazel Dormouse is a UK Biodiversity Action Plan Priority Species and a European Protected Species, and the causes of population reduction are not well understood and may not have ceased. An urgent appraisal of Dormouse conservation is required to ensure the species’ favourable conservation status.
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Samples of monitoring results.
2016Co-Authors: Cheryl A. Mills, Brendan J Godley, David J HodgsonAbstract:Frames from camera trap video footage during phase two of study, (therefore includes tracking cages in shots) of: A) two dormice and; B) wood mouse, to demonstrate video quality sufficient to allow species identification. Footprints from wild animals, captured using the footprint tracking cage and subsequently identified as: C) hazel Dormouse fore foot and D) Dormouse hind foot and E) wood mouse forefoot and F) wood mouse hind foot. All prints are positioned with toes at the top, scale bars represent 0.5mm graduations. Note the distinctive three triangular metacarpal pads found in Dormouse prints, which in some prints merge into each other, such as in print C.
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Take Only Photographs, Leave Only Footprints: Novel Applications of Non-Invasive Survey Methods for Rapid Detection of Small, Arboreal Animals
2016Co-Authors: Cheryl A. Mills, Brendan J Godley, David J HodgsonAbstract:The development of appropriate wildlife survey techniques is essential to promote effective and efficient monitoring of species of conservation concern. Here, we demonstrate the utility of two rapid-assessment, non-invasive methods to detect the presence of elusive, small, arboreal animals. We use the hazel Dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius, a rodent of conservation concern, as our focal species. Prevailing hazel Dormouse survey methods are prolonged (often taking months to years to detect dormice), dependent on season and habitat, and/or have low detection rates. Alternatives would be of great use to ecologists who undertake Dormouse surveys, especially those assessing the need for mitigation measures, as legally required for building development projects. Camera traps and footprint tracking are well-established tools for monitoring elusive large terrestrial mammals, but are rarely used for small species such as rodents, or in arboreal habitats. In trials of these adapted methods, hazel dormice visited bait stations and were successfully detected by both camera traps and tracking equipment at each of two woodland study sites, within days to weeks of installation. Camera trap images and footprints were of adequate quality to allow discrimination between two sympatric small mammal species (hazel Dormouse and wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus). We discuss the relative merits of these methods with respect to research aims, funds, time available and habitat.
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isolation and characterisation of hazel Dormouse muscardinus avellanarius microsatellite loci
Conservation Genetics Resources, 2013Co-Authors: Cheryl Mills, Deborah A Dawson, Gavin J Horsburgh, Brendan J Godley, David J HodgsonAbstract:Hazel dormice, Muscardinus avellanarius (Rodentia: Gliridae) are vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation, and thus protected by European Directives. We isolated hazel Dormouse microsatellite sequences from enriched genomic libraries to facilitate conservation- focussed research, such as population genetics, regarding this threatened species. Fifty-three primer sets were designed from 51 newly isolated loci. Additionally, we redesigned and tested nine primer sets from previously- published hazel Dormouse microsatellite sequences. These 62 marker sets were initially tested in eight unrelated individuals. Thirty-nine loci, which were polymorphic and amplified in(88 % of these samples (extracted from hair), were then genotyped and characterised in 22-26 individ- uals. Of these, 26 autosomal loci (18 new and eight pub- lished) adhered to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p B 0.05) and displayed an estimated null allele frequency of \0.10. One loci pair displayed linkage disequilibrium after cor- rection for multiple tests.
Robbie A Mcdonald - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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habitat preferences of hazel dormice muscardinus avellanarius and the effects of tree felling on their movement
Forest Ecology and Management, 2018Co-Authors: Cecily E D Goodwin, David J Hodgson, Sallie Bailey, Jonathan Bennie, Robbie A McdonaldAbstract:Abstract Modern management of multifunctional woodlands must address many and various demands, including for recreation, timber production and the conservation of biodiversity. The responses of individuals and populations of protected species to woodland management and habitat change are often not well understood. Using radio-tracking and LiDAR, we investigated the short-term habitat preferences of hazel dormice Muscardinus avellanarius, and their ranging and resting behaviours before and after small-scale tree felling, following a before-after control-impact design. Mean Dormouse home range size was 0.51 Ha (±0.07 SE, n = 16) and did not vary between sexes or among sites, though heavier animals had smaller ranges. Dormice preferred mid-height woodland habitat (5–10 m tall), with low proportions of high forest (over 10 m tall), for both ranging and resting sites. Ranging habitats were often located on woodland edges and relatively dense vegetation. Dormice preferentially used yew, rowan and hazel during ranging. There was no difference in the distances travelled by dormice before and after felling, but dormice in areas where trees had been felled showed less evidence of a shift in ranging area than those in unfelled areas. Although the limited response of dormice to tree felling activities has the potential to be associated with increased mortality and/or limited dispersal of individual dormice, the requirements of dormice for mid-successional and edge habitats that arise after tree removal means that a dynamic optimum of felling and regeneration is essential for conservation of Dormouse populations.
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voluntary recording scheme reveals ongoing decline in the united kingdom hazel Dormouse muscardinus avellanarius population
Mammal Review, 2017Co-Authors: Cecily E D Goodwin, David J Hodgson, Nida Alfulaij, Sallie Bailey, Steve Langton, Robbie A McdonaldAbstract:In order to conserve threatened species, knowledge of the status, trends and trajectories of populations is required. Co-ordinating collection of these data is challenging, especially for inconspicuous species such as the hazel Dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius. The UK National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP) is comprised of nest box recording schemes organised by volunteers. The number, size, and coverage of these schemes has varied over time. Such changes risk conflation of genuine population trends with covarying artefacts, including survey effort and expansion into sites of variable quality. We provide a robust analysis of count data from 400 NDMP sites from 1993 to 2014 and demonstrate that changes in counts are not an artefact of survey characteristics. In relation to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria, we conclude that Dormouse counts in nest boxes are an index of abundance appropriate to the taxon and allow the inference of population reduction of 72% (95% confidence intervals 62–79%) over the 22 years from 1993 to 2014, equivalent to a mean annual rate of decline of 5.8% (4.5–7.1%). This decline is ongoing. We highlight difficulties in assigning an IUCN Red List conservation category to a population, given variation in apparent trends over consecutive time-periods. In eight out of 13 sliding window intervals of 10 years from 1993 to 2014, the 95% confidence intervals overlap a decline of 50%. While average population decline over 10-year periods suggests that the hazel Dormouse should be classified as Vulnerable, a precautionary approach would not rule out the category of Endangered in the United Kingdom, given the lower bounds of population change estimates, the mean annual rate of decline and ongoing decline. Ongoing decline in the hazel Dormouse population is despite a high level of species protection and widespread conservation measures. The hazel Dormouse is a UK Biodiversity Action Plan Priority Species and a European Protected Species, and the causes of population reduction are not well understood and may not have ceased. An urgent appraisal of Dormouse conservation is required to ensure the species’ favourable conservation status.
Boris Krystufek - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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evolutionary history and species delimitations a case study of the hazel Dormouse muscardinus avellanarius
Conservation Genetics, 2017Co-Authors: Alice Mouton, Rimvydas Juskaitis, Boris Krystufek, Maurizio Sarà, Giovanni Amori, Alessio Mortelliti, Andrea Grill, Alice Latinne, Ettore RandiAbstract:Robust identification of species and significant evolutionary units (ESUs) is essential to implement appropriate conservation strategies for endangered species. However, definitions of species or ESUs are numerous and sometimes controversial, which might lead to biased conclusions, with serious consequences for the management of endangered species. The hazel Dormouse, an arboreal rodent of conservation concern throughout Europe is an ideal model species to investigate the relevance of species identification for conservation purposes. This species is a member of the Gliridae family, which is protected in Europe and seriously threatened in the northern part of its range. We assessed the extent of genetic subdivision in the hazel Dormouse by sequencing one mitochondrial gene (cytb) and two nuclear genes (BFIBR, APOB) and genotyping 10 autosomal microsatellites. These data were analysed using a combination of phylogenetic analyses and species delimitation methods. Multilocus analyses revealed the presence of two genetically distinct lineages (approximately 11 % cytb genetic divergence, no nuclear alleles shared) for the hazel Dormouse in Europe, which presumably diverged during the Late Miocene. The phylogenetic patterns suggests that Muscardinus avellanarius populations could be split into two cryptic species respectively distributed in western and central-eastern Europe and Anatolia. However, the comparison of several species definitions and methods estimated the number of species between 1 and 10. Our results revealed the difficulty in choosing and applying an appropriate criterion and markers to identify species and highlight the fact that consensus guidelines are essential for species delimitation in the future. In addition, this study contributes to a better knowledge about the evolutionary history of the species.
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fat Dormouse glis glis l distribution modeling in the hyrcanian relict forests of northern iran
Polish Journal of Ecology, 2016Co-Authors: Morteza Naderi, Mohammad Kaboli, Mohsen Ahmadi, Boris KrystufekAbstract:ABSTRACT The fat Dormouse (Glis glis L.) is a small arboreal and extreme habitat specialist mammal that is tightly linked to the deciduous mixed forests dominated by Beech (Fagus orientalis) and oaks (Quercus sp.). Despite its status in Iran as a least concern species, dormice face high risk of extinction in some parts of Europe. The unique life history and large scale distribution of the species in the Palearctic region made it as an ideal model species. This habitat specialist rodent is particularly sensitive to size and connectivity of the forest patches. The fat Dormouse shows very deep molecular and morphological divergence in its eastern most parts of its global distribution, in the Hyrcanian refugium of the Northern Iran. Therefore modeling its distributional range can leads to identify biodiversity hotspots and planning conservation activities. The meteorological data, land cover types, topographical variables and geo-referenced points representing geographical locations of the fat Dormouse popula...
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mitochondrial evidence uncovers a refugium for the fat Dormouse glis glis linnaeus 1766 in hyrcanian forests of northern iran
Mammalian Biology, 2014Co-Authors: Gholamreza Naderi, Mohammad Kaboli, Toni Koren, Mahmoud Karami, Sara Zupan, Hamid Reza Rezaei, Boris KrystufekAbstract:Abstract Fat Dormouse is a squirrel-like rodent which is closely tied to deciduous forest ecosystem in southwestern Eurasia. As such it is a valuable indicator of forest survival in refugia during glacial-interglacial periods. Previous phylogeographic analyses uncovered divergent fat Dormouse lineages in southern refugia in Italy and the Balkans, but retrieved a surprisingly low overall genetic diversity across the majority of the species’ range. We explored 812 bp long fragment of a cytochrome b (cyt b) gene in ten fat dormice from refugial Hyrcanian forests in northern Iran. We identified 10 new cyt b haplotypes, which generated a total dataset of 28 fat Dormouse haplotypes. The phylogenetic reconstruction clustered the new haplotypes into the Iranian lineage which hold a sister position against all other fat Dormouse haplotypes from Europe and Asia Minor. The divergence between these lineages suggests a fragmentation event of an ancestral population at 5.76 mya (95% HPD = 3.21–8.92). This early evolutionary divergence was possibly triggered in the Middle East by dramatically divergent environmental conditions at the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The divergence clearly exceeds the intraspecific divergence, and is well within the range between congeneric rodent species. We suggest a long-term persistence of the Iranian lineage in the Hyrcanian refugium which is consitent with a high number of endemics along the southern Caspian coastal areas.
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glis glis rodentia gliridae
Mammalian Species, 2010Co-Authors: Boris Krystufek, Glis BrissonAbstract:Glis glis (Linnaeus, 1766) is a glirid commonly called the fat or edible Dormouse. It is the largest Dormouse and the only species in the genus Glis. Range mainly overlaps with a deciduous and mixed forest zone in Europe and southwestern Asia. Principal habitat is deciduous and mixed woodland and the species is strictly nocturnal. G. glis is unusual among small rodents in its long life expectancy (mean is about 9 years), prolonged hibernation (up to 7 months), and periodic reproductive failure. It is a species of conservation concern along the northern part of its range, and a game animal in Slovenia and Croatia. DOI: 10.1644/865.1.
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mitochondrial phylogeography of the edible Dormouse glis glis in the western palearctic region
Journal of Mammalogy, 2010Co-Authors: Helene Hurner, Tanja Ruch, Robert S Sommer, Victoria Ivashkina, Boris Krystufek, Maurizio Sarà, Johan MichauxAbstract:This study describes in detail the phylogeographic pattern of the edible Dormouse (Glis glis) a European rodent with pronounced hibernating behavior. We used sequences of 831 base pairs of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome-b gene from 130 edible dormice collected at 43 localities throughout its distribution. Our results reveal presence of 3 main haplogroups: Sicilian, South Italian (restricted to the Calabrian region), and European (a widespread lineage corresponding to all remaining western, central, and eastern European populations). Examination of paleontological data confirms refugial regions for G. glis in the 3 Mediterranean peninsulas, although overall low genetic diversity is found. The low diversity of the European lineage is probably the result of a recent expansion (dated around 2,000 years ago) from a single refugium. Other factors, such as the ecological constraints on the species, may have caused genetic bottlenecks that reinforced the low genetic variability of G. glis. This work could have important implications for strategies to conserve the edible Dormouse by defining important areas for their conservation. DOI: 10.1644/08-MAMM-A-392R1.1.
Johan Michaux - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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mitochondrial phylogeography of the edible Dormouse glis glis in the western palearctic region
Journal of Mammalogy, 2010Co-Authors: Helene Hurner, Tanja Ruch, Robert S Sommer, Victoria Ivashkina, Boris Krystufek, Maurizio Sarà, Johan MichauxAbstract:This study describes in detail the phylogeographic pattern of the edible Dormouse (Glis glis) a European rodent with pronounced hibernating behavior. We used sequences of 831 base pairs of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome-b gene from 130 edible dormice collected at 43 localities throughout its distribution. Our results reveal presence of 3 main haplogroups: Sicilian, South Italian (restricted to the Calabrian region), and European (a widespread lineage corresponding to all remaining western, central, and eastern European populations). Examination of paleontological data confirms refugial regions for G. glis in the 3 Mediterranean peninsulas, although overall low genetic diversity is found. The low diversity of the European lineage is probably the result of a recent expansion (dated around 2,000 years ago) from a single refugium. Other factors, such as the ecological constraints on the species, may have caused genetic bottlenecks that reinforced the low genetic variability of G. glis. This work could have important implications for strategies to conserve the edible Dormouse by defining important areas for their conservation. DOI: 10.1644/08-MAMM-A-392R1.1.
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isolation characterization and pcr multiplexing of polymorphic microsatellite markers in the edible Dormouse glis glis
Molecular Ecology Resources, 2009Co-Authors: Helene Hurner, Antoni Arrizabalaga, Jeanfrancois Martin, Johan MichauxAbstract:We isolated and characterized 10 dinucleotide microsatellite loci in the edible Dormouse, Glis glis (Linnaeus). Four multiplex panels were developed. Loci were amplified in samples from two geographically distant populations (Torgny in Belgium and Montseny in Spain). All loci were polymorphic in Spain but four were monomorphic in Belgium. Individuals from Belgium and Spain exhibited an average allelic diversity of 1.9 and 3.3 and an observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.08 to 0.47 and from 0.04 to 0.72, respectively.