TY - JOUR

T1 - Ancient mitogenomes reveal a high maternal genetic diversity of Pleistocene woolly rhinoceros in Northern China

AU - Yuan, Junxia

AU - Sun, Guojiang

AU - Xiao, Bo

AU - Hu, Jiaming

AU - Wang, Linying

AU - Taogetongqimuge, null

AU - Bao, Lei

AU - Hou, Yamei

AU - Song, Shiwen

AU - Jiang, Shan

AU - Wu, Yong

AU - Pan, Dong

AU - Liu, Yang

AU - Westbury, Michael V.

AU - Lai, Xulong

AU - Sheng, Guilian

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023, BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Background: Woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) is a typical indicator of cold-stage climate that was widely distributed in Northern Hemisphere during the Middle-Late Pleistocene. Although a plethora of fossils have been excavated from Northern China, their phylogenetic status, intraspecific diversity and phylogeographical structure are still vague. Results: In the present study, we generated four mitogenomes from Late Pleistocene woolly rhinoceros in Northern China and compared them with published data. Bayesian and network analyses indicate that the analyzed individuals contain at least four maternal haplogroups, and Chinese samples fall in three of them. One of our samples belongs to a previously unidentified early diverging clade (haplogroup D), which separated from other woolly rhinoceros around 0.57 Ma (95% CI: 0.76–0.41 Ma). The timing of this clade’s origin coincides with the first occurrence of woolly rhinoceros, which are thought to have evolved in Europe. Our other three samples cluster in haplogroup C, previously only identified from one specimen from Wrangel Island (ND030) and initially considered to be an isolated clade. Herein, our findings suggest that ND030 is likely descended from a northward dispersal of the individuals carrying haplogroup C from Northern China. Additionally, Chinese woolly rhinoceros specimens exhibit higher nucleotide diversity than those from Siberia. Conclusion: Our findings highlight Northern China as a possible refugium and a key evolution center of the Pleistocene woolly rhinoceros.

AB - Background: Woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) is a typical indicator of cold-stage climate that was widely distributed in Northern Hemisphere during the Middle-Late Pleistocene. Although a plethora of fossils have been excavated from Northern China, their phylogenetic status, intraspecific diversity and phylogeographical structure are still vague. Results: In the present study, we generated four mitogenomes from Late Pleistocene woolly rhinoceros in Northern China and compared them with published data. Bayesian and network analyses indicate that the analyzed individuals contain at least four maternal haplogroups, and Chinese samples fall in three of them. One of our samples belongs to a previously unidentified early diverging clade (haplogroup D), which separated from other woolly rhinoceros around 0.57 Ma (95% CI: 0.76–0.41 Ma). The timing of this clade’s origin coincides with the first occurrence of woolly rhinoceros, which are thought to have evolved in Europe. Our other three samples cluster in haplogroup C, previously only identified from one specimen from Wrangel Island (ND030) and initially considered to be an isolated clade. Herein, our findings suggest that ND030 is likely descended from a northward dispersal of the individuals carrying haplogroup C from Northern China. Additionally, Chinese woolly rhinoceros specimens exhibit higher nucleotide diversity than those from Siberia. Conclusion: Our findings highlight Northern China as a possible refugium and a key evolution center of the Pleistocene woolly rhinoceros.

KW - Dispersal

KW - Maternal diversity

KW - Northern China

KW - Pleistocene

KW - Woolly rhinoceros

U2 - 10.1186/s12862-023-02168-0

DO - 10.1186/s12862-023-02168-0

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37752413

AN - SCOPUS:85172210890

VL - 23

JO - BMC Ecology

JF - BMC Ecology

SN - 1472-6785

M1 - 56

ER -