Phylogeny and Biogeography of Common Toad(Bufo bufo) in Xinjiang, China

摘要

The common toad, Bufo bufo(Linnaeus, 1758), is widely distributed in Europe and parts of Africa. Previous studies of the genetic relationships among B. bufo populations have not included Asian populations. Here, we investigated the phylogenetic relationships of B. bufo, including a population from Xinjiang, China, using 722 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence and identified six subclades and 85 haplotypes in populations from 22 countries. Phylogenetic analyses and pedigree differentiation revealed that the subclade containing the Xinjiang population has undergone a relatively recent expansion. Combining our results with those of previous studies, we found that the common toad population of Xinjiang, China, belongs to the European-Caucasian lineage and that its closest relatives based on phylogenetic relationships were eastern European populations. Our research contributes to expanding knowledge of the geographic distribution of B. bufo and illuminates the lineage and genetic relationships of the B. bu fo population in Xinjiang, China. Future research should continue to update the geographic distribution of B. bufo and complete a genetic investigation of the full range of this species.