To help resolve the systematic position of Myospalacine(zokors)and to clarify the phylogenetic relationships among zokor species,complete mitochondrial 12S rRNA and cytochrome b gene sequences were determined for seve...To help resolve the systematic position of Myospalacine(zokors)and to clarify the phylogenetic relationships among zokor species,complete mitochondrial 12S rRNA and cytochrome b gene sequences were determined for seven zokor species from China.Phylogenetic relationships among all extant zokors,except the Siberian zokor(Myospalax myospalax)and Smith’s zokor(Eospalax smithi),were reconstructed with the Chinese bamboo rat(Rhizomys sinensis)as an outgroup.Our results support the generic status of Eospalax and also support the validity of the specific status of Eospalax cansus,Eospalax baileyi and Eospalax rufescens.展开更多
Zokors in the genus Eospalax,which are endemic to northern and western China,are subterranean rodents that inhabit various niches,including grasslands,high-altitude meadows,forests,and farmlands.Six species in Eospala...Zokors in the genus Eospalax,which are endemic to northern and western China,are subterranean rodents that inhabit various niches,including grasslands,high-altitude meadows,forests,and farmlands.Six species in Eospalax were described a century ago but their taxonomy and phylogeny remain controversial.In this study,we performed high-depth whole-genome sequencing of 47 zokor samples,comprising all six previously described species.Genomic analyses revealed a reliable and robust phylogeny of Eospalax and supported the validity of the six named species.According to the inferred phylogenetic relationships,Eospalax first divergent into two clades in the early Pliocene(ca.4.68 million years ago(Ma)),one inhabiting the highaltitude Qinghai-Xizang(Tibet)Plateau(QTP)and adjacent regions,and the another inhabiting the lowaltitude Loess Plateau and Qinling-Daba Mountains.The most recent divergences occurred between E.baileyi and E.smithii and between E.rufescens and E.rothschildi in the late Pliocene(ca.2.09 and 2.19 Ma,respectively).We also collected specimens of zokors in the southern Hengduan Mountains(Muli County,Sichuan Province),far from the known distributions of all other zokors.Morphological and molecular analyses strongly suggested that the specimens represent a new species,formally described here as Eospalax muliensis sp.nov.The new species belongs to the high-altitude clade and diverged from closely related species(ca.4.22 Ma)shortly after the first divergence in Eospalax.Interestingly,Eospalax muliensis sp.nov.possesses more supposedly plesiomorphic characters,suggesting a possible origin of the genus in the Hengduan Mountains.展开更多
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No:30770256)the Key Projects(SZD 0420)of Sichuan Province.
文摘To help resolve the systematic position of Myospalacine(zokors)and to clarify the phylogenetic relationships among zokor species,complete mitochondrial 12S rRNA and cytochrome b gene sequences were determined for seven zokor species from China.Phylogenetic relationships among all extant zokors,except the Siberian zokor(Myospalax myospalax)and Smith’s zokor(Eospalax smithi),were reconstructed with the Chinese bamboo rat(Rhizomys sinensis)as an outgroup.Our results support the generic status of Eospalax and also support the validity of the specific status of Eospalax cansus,Eospalax baileyi and Eospalax rufescens.
基金supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research(STEP)Program(2019QZKK05010218,2019QZKK05010110)National Natural Science Foundation of China(32100339,31871277)+2 种基金supported by the Yunling Scholar ProjectTen-Thousand Talents Plan of Yunnan Provincesupported by the Youth Innovation Promotion Association,Chinese Academy of Sciences。
文摘Zokors in the genus Eospalax,which are endemic to northern and western China,are subterranean rodents that inhabit various niches,including grasslands,high-altitude meadows,forests,and farmlands.Six species in Eospalax were described a century ago but their taxonomy and phylogeny remain controversial.In this study,we performed high-depth whole-genome sequencing of 47 zokor samples,comprising all six previously described species.Genomic analyses revealed a reliable and robust phylogeny of Eospalax and supported the validity of the six named species.According to the inferred phylogenetic relationships,Eospalax first divergent into two clades in the early Pliocene(ca.4.68 million years ago(Ma)),one inhabiting the highaltitude Qinghai-Xizang(Tibet)Plateau(QTP)and adjacent regions,and the another inhabiting the lowaltitude Loess Plateau and Qinling-Daba Mountains.The most recent divergences occurred between E.baileyi and E.smithii and between E.rufescens and E.rothschildi in the late Pliocene(ca.2.09 and 2.19 Ma,respectively).We also collected specimens of zokors in the southern Hengduan Mountains(Muli County,Sichuan Province),far from the known distributions of all other zokors.Morphological and molecular analyses strongly suggested that the specimens represent a new species,formally described here as Eospalax muliensis sp.nov.The new species belongs to the high-altitude clade and diverged from closely related species(ca.4.22 Ma)shortly after the first divergence in Eospalax.Interestingly,Eospalax muliensis sp.nov.possesses more supposedly plesiomorphic characters,suggesting a possible origin of the genus in the Hengduan Mountains.
