{"title":"Population genetics and demography of the endemic mouse species of Cyprus, Mus cypriacus","authors":"","doi":"10.1007/s42991-024-00410-w","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3>Abstract</h3> <p><em>Mus cypriacus</em> is one of three small palaeoendemic mammals that have survived the Mediterranean islands’ anthropization. This species, endemic to Cyprus, was described in 2006 and stands out as one of the last mammal species to have been discovered in Europe. Despite scarce data on its genetics, ecology, and life-history traits, <em>Mus cypriacus</em> is assessed as Least Concern LC in the IUCN Red List, partly due to its morphological similarity with the sympatric house mouse that prevented earlier identification. Our study uses mitochondrial and microsatellite markers to investigate this small rodent's population genetic structure and diversity. Our analysis did not identify any population genetic structure and suggested a high genetic diversity across Cyprus. When inferring habitat preference using sample locations, it appeared that <em>M. cypriacus</em> utilizes a diverse variety of habitats, covering more than 80% of the island. Although these results are encouraging for the conservation status of the species, they still need to be cautiously applied as potential threats may arise due to increasing habitat destruction and changes in land use. Consequently, our encouraging results should be applied judiciously. Additional ecological data are urgently needed to gain a more comprehensive understanding of this inconspicuous endemic species.</p>","PeriodicalId":49888,"journal":{"name":"Mammalian Biology","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Mammalian Biology","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-024-00410-w","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ZOOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Mus cypriacus is one of three small palaeoendemic mammals that have survived the Mediterranean islands’ anthropization. This species, endemic to Cyprus, was described in 2006 and stands out as one of the last mammal species to have been discovered in Europe. Despite scarce data on its genetics, ecology, and life-history traits, Mus cypriacus is assessed as Least Concern LC in the IUCN Red List, partly due to its morphological similarity with the sympatric house mouse that prevented earlier identification. Our study uses mitochondrial and microsatellite markers to investigate this small rodent's population genetic structure and diversity. Our analysis did not identify any population genetic structure and suggested a high genetic diversity across Cyprus. When inferring habitat preference using sample locations, it appeared that M. cypriacus utilizes a diverse variety of habitats, covering more than 80% of the island. Although these results are encouraging for the conservation status of the species, they still need to be cautiously applied as potential threats may arise due to increasing habitat destruction and changes in land use. Consequently, our encouraging results should be applied judiciously. Additional ecological data are urgently needed to gain a more comprehensive understanding of this inconspicuous endemic species.
期刊介绍:
Mammalian Biology (formerly Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde) is an international scientific journal edited by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Säugetierkunde (German Society for Mammalian Biology). The journal is devoted to the publication of research on mammals. Its scope covers all aspects of mammalian biology, such as anatomy, morphology, palaeontology, taxonomy, systematics, molecular biology, physiology, neurobiology, ethology, genetics, reproduction, development, evolutionary biology, domestication, ecology, wildlife biology and diseases, conservation biology, and the biology of zoo mammals.