Mitochondrial demographic history of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), an expanding carnivore in the Iberian Peninsula

摘要

Describing the genetic patterns and the demographic history of expanding species is essential for providing insights into the processes linked with range dynamics. We analysed the mitochondrial diversity ofthe Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) across the Iberian Peninsula, where the species is currently expanding northwest.A total of 242 individuals were analysed, together with nine representatives fromthe North African dispersal source. Haplotype segregation and strong differentiation between Iberian and North African populations confirmed the longtermpresence of the species in the Iberian Peninsula.The distribution of mitochondrial diversity fitted the pattern of a historically diversified population insouthern Iberia, from which the recent dispersals into northern areas may have occurred. Higher levels ofhaplotype and nucleotide diversities in the northern areas, together with the heterogeneous distributionof pairwise population differentiations and the weak signal for isolationbydistancesuggest the existenceof longdispersalmigrants across the Iberian Peninsula. Sudden and spatial expansion scenarios ofH. ichneumon in the Iberian Peninsula were supported by mismatch analysis and marginally supportedby neutrality tests. However, the precise time of occurrence of the detected expansion remains unclear.Future studies should incorporate additional markers in order to further clarify the population dynamicsof the Egyptian mongoose in its Iberian range.