TY - JOUR

T1 - Unraveling elephant-shrews

T2 - Phylogenetic relationships and unexpected introgression among giant sengis

AU - Lawson, Lucinda P.

AU - Castruita, Jose Alfredo Samaniego

AU - Haile, James S.

AU - Vernesi, Cristiano

AU - Rovero, Francesco

AU - Lorenzen, Eline D.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Giant sengis, or elephant-shrews (Macroscelidea; Macroscelididae; Rhynchocyon), are small-bodied mammals found in central and eastern African forests. Studies have provided contrasting views of the extent and direction of introgression among species. We generated full mitochondrial genomes, and compiled publically available mtDNA 12S and nuclear vWF sequences from Rhynchocyon cirnei, R. petersi and R. udzungwensis that had not previously been analyzed in concert, to elucidate the phylogenetic and population-specific context of potential introgression. Our spatially and phylogenetically broad sampling across species revealed substantial, unidirectional mitochondrial introgression of the R. petersi lineage into R. cirnei reichardi and R. udzungwensis, and from R. udzungwensis into R. c. reichardi. All introgression was highly localized and found only in the eastern Udzungwa Mountains forests in Tanzania. The nuclear data showed another pattern, with R. petersi haplotypes in R. cirnei cirnei and R. c. reichardi. No individuals showed both mitochondrial and nuclear introgression. Our results suggest higher levels of hybridization among giant sengi species than previously recognized, but also highlight the need for further genome-wide analysis and increased spatial sampling to clarify the many aspects of diversification and introgression in this group.

AB - Giant sengis, or elephant-shrews (Macroscelidea; Macroscelididae; Rhynchocyon), are small-bodied mammals found in central and eastern African forests. Studies have provided contrasting views of the extent and direction of introgression among species. We generated full mitochondrial genomes, and compiled publically available mtDNA 12S and nuclear vWF sequences from Rhynchocyon cirnei, R. petersi and R. udzungwensis that had not previously been analyzed in concert, to elucidate the phylogenetic and population-specific context of potential introgression. Our spatially and phylogenetically broad sampling across species revealed substantial, unidirectional mitochondrial introgression of the R. petersi lineage into R. cirnei reichardi and R. udzungwensis, and from R. udzungwensis into R. c. reichardi. All introgression was highly localized and found only in the eastern Udzungwa Mountains forests in Tanzania. The nuclear data showed another pattern, with R. petersi haplotypes in R. cirnei cirnei and R. c. reichardi. No individuals showed both mitochondrial and nuclear introgression. Our results suggest higher levels of hybridization among giant sengi species than previously recognized, but also highlight the need for further genome-wide analysis and increased spatial sampling to clarify the many aspects of diversification and introgression in this group.

KW - 12S

KW - Elephant-shrews

KW - Mitogenomes

KW - Phylogenetics

KW - Introgression

KW - Udzungwa Mountains vWF

KW - GENUS RHYNCHOCYON

KW - MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA

KW - MACROSCELIDEA

KW - MOUNTAINS

KW - MODELS

U2 - 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.107001

DO - 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.107001

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 33130298

VL - 154

JO - Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

JF - Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

SN - 1055-7903

M1 - 107001

ER -