Assessment of taxonomic and genetic diversity of wood mice of the genus Apodemus in the steppe zone of the Central Ciscaucasia.
- 1Tembotov Institute of Ecology of Mountain Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Nalchik, Russia.
Abstract
Steppe ecosystems are among the most heavily modified habitats due to anthropogenic pressure and rapid land-use changes. Over the course of several decades of the 20th century, the biogeocenoses of the steppe plains and a significant portion of the forest-steppe of the Central Ciscaucasia have almost completely lost their original appearance. Anthropogenic impact resulted in the reduction of suitable habitats, their fragmentation, and so on. It is known that prolonged isolation of a population, caused by natural or anthropogenic habitat fragmentation, can lead to changes in the genetic structure of the population, specifically to a decrease in genetic diversity and a reduction in the total effective population size, which is particularly detrimental to small populations. The relevance of this study is due to the lack of current data on the species composition, genetic structure, genetic diversity, habitat distribution, and abundance of Apodemus wood mice in the steppe zone of the Central Ciscaucasia. Based on an analysis of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b (cyt b) gene fragment variability, the species composition and genetic diversity of sibling species of wood mice of the genus Apodemus have been studied for the first time in the steppe zone of the Central Ciscaucasia. Molecular genetic analysis revealed that the genus Apodemus is represented by three species: A. uralensis, A. witherbyi, and A. flavicollis. A. flavicollis and A. witherbyi are described for the first time in this area. Of the three taxa, A. uralensis exhibits the highest level of genetic diversity. Molecular dating results suggest that of the three species, A. uralensis was the first to colonize the Central Ciscaucasia in two stages: approximately 370-350 thousand years ago and approximately 256 thousand years ago. Subsequently, A. witherbyi entered the area in two stages: approximately 166-154 thousand years ago and 125-115 thousand years ago. A. flavicollis is the youngest inhabitant of the Central Ciscaucasia, with an evolutionary age of approximately 100 thousand years. This study identifies the distribution patterns and landscape-biotopic distribution of representatives of the genus Apodemus in the study areas of the Central Ciscaucasia.
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BibTeX
@article{tembotova2026assessment,
title = {{Assessment of taxonomic and genetic diversity of wood mice of the genus Apodemus in the steppe zone of the Central Ciscaucasia.}},
author = {F A Tembotova and A Kh Amshokova and M S Gudova and E P Kononenko},
journal = {Vavilovskii zhurnal genetiki i selektsii},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.18699/vjgb-26-93},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908756},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Assessment of taxonomic and genetic diversity of wood mice of the genus Apodemus in the steppe zone of the Central Ciscaucasia.
AU - F A Tembotova
AU - A Kh Amshokova
AU - M S Gudova
AU - E P Kononenko
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Vavilovskii zhurnal genetiki i selektsii
DO - 10.18699/vjgb-26-93
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908756
AB - Steppe ecosystems are among the most heavily modified habitats due to anthropogenic pressure and rapid land-use changes. Over the course of several decades of the 20th century, the biogeocenoses of the steppe plains and a significant portion of the forest-steppe of the Central Ciscaucasia have almost completely lost their original appearance. Anthropogenic impact resulted in the reduction of suitable habitats, their fragmentation, and so on. It is known that prolonged isolation of a population, caused by natural or anthropogenic habitat fragmentation, can lead to changes in the genetic structure of the population, specifically to a decrease in genetic diversity and a reduction in the total effective population size, which is particularly detrimental to small populations. The relevance of this study is due to the lack of current data on the species composition, genetic structure, genetic diversity, habitat distribution, and abundance of Apodemus wood mice in the steppe zone of the Central Ciscaucasia. Based on an analysis of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b (cyt b) gene fragment variability, the species composition and genetic diversity of sibling species of wood mice of the genus Apodemus have been studied for the first time in the steppe zone of the Central Ciscaucasia. Molecular genetic analysis revealed that the genus Apodemus is represented by three species: A. uralensis, A. witherbyi, and A. flavicollis. A. flavicollis and A. witherbyi are described for the first time in this area. Of the three taxa, A. uralensis exhibits the highest level of genetic diversity. Molecular dating results suggest that of the three species, A. uralensis was the first to colonize the Central Ciscaucasia in two stages: approximately 370-350 thousand years ago and approximately 256 thousand years ago. Subsequently, A. witherbyi entered the area in two stages: approximately 166-154 thousand years ago and 125-115 thousand years ago. A. flavicollis is the youngest inhabitant of the Central Ciscaucasia, with an evolutionary age of approximately 100 thousand years. This study identifies the distribution patterns and landscape-biotopic distribution of representatives of the genus Apodemus in the study areas of the Central Ciscaucasia.
SN - 2500-0462
SN - 2500-3259
ER -