Publication details
Evolutionary history of the thicket rats (genus Grammomys) mirrors the evolution of African forests since late Miocene
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of Biogeography |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12890 |
| Field | Zoology |
| Keywords | Arvicanthini; coastal forests; late Miocene; lowland forests; mountain forests; phylogeography; Plio-Pleistocene climate changes; Rodentia; tropical Africa |
| Description | Aim Grammomys are mostly arboreal rodents occurring in forests, woodlands and thickets throughout sub-Saharan Africa. We investigated whether the divergence events within the genus follow the existing evolutionary scenario for the development of African forests since the late Miocene. Location Sub-Saharan African forests and woodlands. We inferred the molecular phylogeny of Grammomys using Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods and DNA sequences of 351 specimens collected from across the distribution of the genus. We mapped the genetic diversity, estimated the divergence times by a relaxed clock model and compared evolution of the genus with forest history. Phylogenetic analysis confirms the monophyly of Grammomys and reveals five main Grammomys lineages with mainly parapatric distributions: (1) the poensis group in Guineo-Congolese forests; (2) the selousi group with a distribution mainly in coastal forests of southern and eastern Africa; (3) the dolichurus group restricted to the easternmost part of South Africa; (4) the macmillani group in the northern part of eastern and Central Africa with one isolated species in Guinean forests; and (5) the surdaster group, widely dis- tributed in eastern Africa south of the equator. The evolutionary history of the genus Grammomys closely reflects the accepted scenario of major historical changes in the distribution of tropical African forests since the late Miocene. |