MICROGEOGRAPHICAL AND MACROGEOGRAPHICAL GENETIC-STRUCTURE OF COLONIESOF NAKED MOLE-RATS HETEROCEPHALUS-GLABER

Patterns of genetic structure in eusocial naked mole-rat populations w ere quantified within and among geographically distant populations usi ng multilocus DNA fingerprinting and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequenc e analysis. Individuals within colonies were genetically almost monomo rphic, sharing the same mtDNA control region haplotype and having coef ficients of band sharing estimated from DNA fingerprints ranging from 0.93 to 0.99. Family analysis of a hybrid captive colony of naked mole -rats with increased levels of genetic variability using multilocus DN A fingerprinting gave results consistent with Mendelian inheritance, a nd has revealed for the first time that multiple paternity can occur. In a survey of wild colonies from Ethiopia, Somalia and locations in n orthern and southern Kenya, we have examined mtDNA control region sequ ence variation in 42 individuals from 15 colonies, and together with m ultilocus DNA fingerprinting and mtDNA cytochrome-b sequence analysis in selected individuals have shown that these populations show conside rable genetic divergence. Most of the variance in sequence divergence was found to be between geographical locations (Phi(ct) = 0.68) and th ere was a significant correlation between sequence divergence and geog raphical separation of haplotypes. Six colonies from Mtito Andei in so uthern Kenya shared the same control region haplotype, suggesting a re cent common maternal ancestor. In contrast, out of four colonies at Le rata in north Kenya, three haplotypes were identified, and phylogeneti c analysis suggests that this area may be a zone where two distinct li neages are in close proximity. Genetic distances were maximal between Ethiopian and southern Kenyan populations at 5.8% for cytochrome-b, an d are approaching interspecific values seen between other Bathyergids.