The house shrew (Suncus murinus–S. montanus species complex) colonized regions across southern Asia and the Indian Ocean following human activity. The house shrew is distributed on islands of the Ryukyu Archipelago, the southernmost part of Japan, but the evolutionary history of the shrew on those islands and possible associations between these populations and humans remain unknown. In this study, we conducted phylogenetic and population genetic analyses based on both nuclear and mitochondrial genome sequences of house shrews. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) sequences revealed that shrews from the Ryukyu Archipelago showed strong genetic affinity to Vietnamese and southern Chinese shrews. Demographic analyses of cytb sequences indicated a rapid population expansion event affecting the haplotype group in Vietnam, southern China, and the Ryukyu Archipelago 3300–7900 years ago. Furthermore, gene flow between Ryukyu (Yonaguni Island) and Taiwan and between Ryukyu and Vietnam inferred from f4 statistics of the nuclear genomes suggested repeated immigration to Ryukyu in recent years. The present study demonstrates that the Nagasaki population has a different origin from the Ryukyu population. These findings elucidate the complex pattern of genetic admixture in house shrews and provide insights into their evolutionary history.
How to translate text using browser tools
30 January 2024
Phylogenetics and Population Genetics of the Asian House Shrew, Suncus murinus–S. montanus Species Complex, Inferred From Whole-Genome and Mitochondrial DNA Sequences, with Special Reference to the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan
Satoshi D. Ohdachi,
Kazumichi Fujiwara,
Chandra Shekhar,
Nguyn Trưng Sơn,
Hitoshi Suzuki,
Naoki Osada
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE
Zoological Science
Vol. 41 • No. 2
April 2024
Vol. 41 • No. 2
April 2024
cytochrome b
human introduction
mitogenome
PHYLOGEOGRAPHY
whole genome