On the origin and systematics of the northern African wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) populations: A comparative study of mtDNA restriction patterns
- Authors: Libois R.M.; Michaux J.R.; Ramalhinho M.G.; Maurois C.; Sara' M.
- Publication year: 2001
- Type: Articolo in rivista
- OA Link: http://hdl.handle.net/10447/565951
Abstract
Conflicting hypotheses have been formulated regarding the origin of wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) populations in northern Africa. In this study, the mtDNA restriction patterns of mice (n = 28) collected in Tunisia and Morocco are compared with those of representatives from southern Europe (n = 102). The neighbour-joining tree confirms the existence of the three lineages previously found in the Mediterranean area: western, Tyrrhenian-Balkan, and Sicilian. The western group is isolated from the two others, with bootstrap values of 89 and 95%. Northern African patterns are included in the western group. Their variability is low, the same pattern being shared by five Tunisian and all Moroccan animals (n = 18), caught either in the north of the country (Cap Spartel) or in the south (Marrakech). This implies that northern African wood mouse populations have a southwestern European origin and that their presence in the region is probably recent, which corresponds to both paleontological data and the hypothesis of anthropogenic introduction.