Abstract
Cold tolerant species often exhibit specific responses to Pleistocene climate oscillations, including range expansions during glacial periods and altitudinal shifts between glacial and interglacial periods. Small terrestrial mammals are ideal candidates to study these processes due to their limited dispersal abilities, short generation time and rapid sequence evolution.
The aim of this study was to investigate phylogeographical structure of the Alpine shrew (Sorex alpinus) within its recently fragmented range in the central and southern European mountain system. To examine its genetic structure, we sequenced the hypervariable domain of the mitochondrial control region in 51 individuals from 18 localities, covering the majority of the distributional area of the species.
We analyzed the sequence dataset using population and landscape genetic approaches. We discovered shallow mitochondrial genealogy with degree of differentiation among site-specific haplogroups.
This pattern, together with demographic analyses showing population expansion, corroborate the hypothesis that during the glacial periods, S. alpinus expanded its range into lower elevations between northern and high mountain system glaciers. This expansion was followed by a postglacial range breakup, retreat to moderate elevations of high mountain systems, and a formation of relict enclaves in smaller hilly areas.