Genetic distinctness of isolated populations of an endangered marsupial, the mountain pygmy-possum, Burramys parvus

Citation
Mj. Osborne et al., Genetic distinctness of isolated populations of an endangered marsupial, the mountain pygmy-possum, Burramys parvus, MOL ECOL, 9(5), 2000, pp. 609-613
Citations number
26
Categorie Soggetti
Environment/Ecology,"Molecular Biology & Genetics
Journal title
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY
ISSN journal
09621083 → ACNP
Volume
9
Issue
5
Year of publication
2000
Pages
609 - 613
Database
ISI
SICI code
0962-1083(200005)9:5<609:GDOIPO>2.0.ZU;2-9
Abstract
The mountain pygmy-possum, Burramys parvus, exists in isolated and fragment ed populations in the Australian alps. To examine the degree of interpopula tion divergence, mitochondrial cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (NADH2) sequences were obtained from samples representing all populations of B. parvus. Three divergent mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages were iden tified which exhibited strong phylogeographical structure. This indicates t he presence of three maternal clades corresponding to populations in the no rthern, central and southern Australian alps. Molecular clock estimates sug gest that the mtDNA lineages diverged from one another 420-680 thousand yea rs ago. On this basis it is argued that B. parvus populations have probably been isolated since the mid-Pleistocene, and that management should focus on maintaining viable B. parvus populations in each of the three regional l ocalities.