ABSTRACT
Using the cytochrome b gene (1143 bp), species identification and the phylogenetic analysis of voles of the generic group Microtus from the eastern part of the Greater Caucasus, including the Ismayilli, Khizi, and Balakan Districts of Azerbaijan, have been carried out. Three species, the Major's pine vole (M. majori), the social vole (M. socialis), and the common vole (M. arvalis form obscurus), have been identified, and five new haplotypes have been described for them. Genetic analysis with the inclusion of the new data showed that for each of the species, the physiographic conditions of the Greater Caucasus played a certain role (isolation, migration route or refugium) during the formation of the modern genetic structure. The obtained results indicate that any new data from the Caucasus could be of critical importance for the reconstruction of the evolutionary history of the modern biodiversity both within the region itself and in adjacent territories.
Subject(s)
Arvicolinae , Animals , Arvicolinae/genetics , Cytochromes b/genetics , Genetic Variation/genetics , PhylogenyABSTRACT
The phylogenetic relationships of burbot (Lota lota L., 1758) of the Volga-Kama River basin are reconstructed for the first time. The sequences of the gene cytochrome b and the mtDNA control region obtained for 44 samples from the Kama River and Mezhevaya Utka River (the Volga River tributaries) are studied. New haplotypes of both markers were revealed. The results of phylogenetic reconstructions based on cytochrome b and control region mtDNA do not contradict the existing ideas about the phylogenetic structure of the species, and indicate inclusion of burbot from the Volga-Kama basin in Eurasian haplogroup. According to obtained data, the Volga-Kama River basin could play an important role in shaping the genetic diversity of burbot in Europe, and during certain periods it served as a corridor connecting the river systems of the European and Asian parts of the species range.