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Population Genetics of Wildlife Animals
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Population Genetics of Wildlife Animals

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2024 | Viewed by 3667

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Pei Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
Interests: population genetics; wildlife conservation; behavioral ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Population genetics is the study of genetic variation within and among populations, and refers to the changes in genetic variation in response to the processes of natural selection, genetic drift, mutation, and gene flow. In recent years, large amounts of DNA sequencing data and genomics data have been generated. The rapid development of bioinformatics and computational resources facilitated the conceptual advances and accumulated large amounts of data on wildlife populations. Wildlife populations are under increasing pressure due to poaching, over-exploration, and climate change, which results in declining populations often becoming separated in fragmented habitats. Therefore, one of the main directions of current population genetics is conservation genetics.

We invite you to submit a manuscript on the population genetics of wildlife animals, i.e., theoretical, empirical, or computational. We are seeking studies that have been conducted on how population genetics can inform wildlife conservation and management.

Dr. Pei Zhang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • genetic diversity OR genetic variation
  • genetic structure
  • population differentiation
  • population demography
  • selection
  • evolution
  • conservation
  • subpopulations OR matapopulation
  • gene flow and genetic drift
  • balancing selection

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1694 KiB  
Article
Pleistocene Landscape Dynamics Drives Lineage Divergence of a Temperate Freshwater Fish Gobio rivuloides in Coastal Drainages of Northern China
by Xiaomin Ni, Yun Chen, Guangmin Deng and Cuizhang Fu
Genes 2023, 14(12), 2146; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14122146 - 27 Nov 2023
Viewed by 754
Abstract
Understanding historical processes underlying lineage distribution patterns is a primary goal of phylogeography. We selected Gobio rivuloides (Cypriniformes: Gobionidae) as a model to improve our knowledge about how intraspecific genetic divergence of freshwater fishes arises in coastal drainages of northern China via statistical [...] Read more.
Understanding historical processes underlying lineage distribution patterns is a primary goal of phylogeography. We selected Gobio rivuloides (Cypriniformes: Gobionidae) as a model to improve our knowledge about how intraspecific genetic divergence of freshwater fishes arises in coastal drainages of northern China via statistical analysis using cytochrome b gene. The time-calibrated phylogeny of G. rivuloides showed the divergence of two major lineages (I and II) at ~0.98 Ma (million years ago). Lineage I can be divided into two sub-lineages (I-A and I-B) with a divergence time of ~0.83 Ma. Sub-lineage I-A inhabits the Amur River, and sub-lineage I-B lives in the Luan River and Liao River. Lineage II is distributed in the Yellow River and Hai River, with close genetic relationships between the two drainages, and can be split into two sub-lineages (II-C and II-D) with a divergence time of ~0.60 Ma. Our findings indicate that the splitting of lineages and sub-lineages could be attributed to geographic isolation caused by the formation of the Bohai Sea, river capture, and the episodic hydrologic closing of a paleolake during the late Lower–Middle Pleistocene. It is also the first report we know of displaying a clear phylogeographic break for freshwater fishes across coastal drainages in northern China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Population Genetics of Wildlife Animals)
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18 pages, 2637 KiB  
Article
Neutral Forces and Balancing Selection Interplay to Shape the Major Histocompatibility Complex Spatial Patterns in the Striped Hamster in Inner Mongolia: Suggestive of Broad-Scale Local Adaptation
by Pengbo Liu, Guichang Li, Ning Zhao, Xiuping Song, Jun Wang, Xinfei Shi, Bin Wang, Lu Zhang, Li Dong, Qingduo Li, Qiyong Liu and Liang Lu
Genes 2023, 14(7), 1500; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14071500 - 22 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1147
Abstract
Background: The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a key role in the adaptive immune response to pathogens due to its extraordinary polymorphism. However, the spatial patterns of MHC variation in the striped hamster remain unclear, particularly regarding the relative contribution of the balancing [...] Read more.
Background: The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a key role in the adaptive immune response to pathogens due to its extraordinary polymorphism. However, the spatial patterns of MHC variation in the striped hamster remain unclear, particularly regarding the relative contribution of the balancing selection in shaping MHC spatial variation and diversity compared to neutral forces. Methods: In this study, we investigated the immunogenic variation of the striped hamster in four wild populations in Inner Mongolia which experience a heterogeneous parasitic burden. Our goal was to identify local adaptation by comparing the genetic structure at the MHC with that at seven microsatellite loci, taking into account neutral processes. Results: We observed significant variation in parasite pressure among sites, with parasite burden showing a correlation with temperature and precipitation. Molecular analysis revealed a similar co-structure between MHC and microsatellite loci. We observed lower genetic differentiation at MHC loci compared to microsatellite loci, and no correlation was found between the two. Conclusions: Overall, these results suggest a complex interplay between neutral evolutionary forces and balancing selection in shaping the spatial patterns of MHC variation. Local adaptation was not detected on a small scale but may be applicable on a larger scale. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Population Genetics of Wildlife Animals)
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15 pages, 3380 KiB  
Article
Morphology and Mitochondrial Lineage Investigations Corroborate the Systematic Status and Pliocene Colonization of Suncus niger (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla) in the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot of India
by Shantanu Kundu, Manokaran Kamalakannan, Ah Ran Kim, Vishwanath D. Hegde, Dhriti Banerjee, Won-Kyo Jung, Young-Mog Kim and Hyun-Woo Kim
Genes 2023, 14(7), 1493; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14071493 - 22 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1224
Abstract
The Indian highland shrew, Suncus niger (Horsfield, 1851), is the least studied soricid species from its original range distribution in Southern India, with several systematics conundrums. Following its discovery in 1851, the species was synonymized with Suncus montanus (Kelaart, 1850) (endemic to Sri [...] Read more.
The Indian highland shrew, Suncus niger (Horsfield, 1851), is the least studied soricid species from its original range distribution in Southern India, with several systematics conundrums. Following its discovery in 1851, the species was synonymized with Suncus montanus (Kelaart, 1850) (endemic to Sri Lanka) and subsequently identified as a separate Indian population. However, the systematic status of S. niger from topotype specimens in Southern India has yet to be determined through an integrated approach. Both taxonomy and mitochondrial genetic data (Cytochrome b and 16S ribosomal RNA) were used to re-examine the systematics of S. niger. The mtCytb gene clearly distinguished topotypic S. niger from other Suncus species, with high genetic divergences varying from 8.49% to 26.29%. Further, the Bayesian and maximum likelihood topologies clearly segregated S. niger from other congeners and corroborated the sister relationship with S. stoliczkanus with expected divergence in the late Pliocene (2.62 MYA). The TimeTree analysis also exhibits a strong matrilineal affinity of S. dayi (endemic to India) toward the African species. The current study hypothesizes that the ancestor of the soricids evolved in Africa and that genetic lineages were subsequently shifted by plate tectonic events that subsequently colonized different continents as distinct species during the late Miocene (Tortonian) to the Holocene era. In addition to the new range expansion and elevation records of S. niger in the Central Western Ghats, we propose that additional sampling across its distribution, as well as the use of multiple genetic markers, may be useful in determining the genetic diversity and population structure of this endemic species. The present study also recommends that more molecular data on the Soricomorphs lineages, and estimates of their divergence times, will shed light on the evolution of these small mammals on Earth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Population Genetics of Wildlife Animals)
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