Pan-African genetic structure in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer): investigating intraspecific divergence.

The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) exhibits extreme morphological variability, which has led to controversies about the validity and taxonomic status of the various recognized subspecies. The present study aims to clarify these by inferring the pan-African spatial distribution of genetic diversit...

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Main Authors: Nathalie Smitz, Cécile Berthouly, Daniel Cornélis, Rasmus Heller, Pim Van Hooft, Philippe Chardonnet, Alexandre Caron, Herbert Prins, Bettine Jansen van Vuuren, Hans De Iongh, Johan Michaux
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2013-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3578844?pdf=render
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spelling doaj-a466d9eb0de14c5c80d355de510047932020-11-25T01:31:18ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032013-01-0182e5623510.1371/journal.pone.0056235Pan-African genetic structure in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer): investigating intraspecific divergence.Nathalie SmitzCécile BerthoulyDaniel CornélisRasmus HellerPim Van HooftPhilippe ChardonnetAlexandre CaronHerbert PrinsBettine Jansen van VuurenHans De IonghJohan MichauxThe African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) exhibits extreme morphological variability, which has led to controversies about the validity and taxonomic status of the various recognized subspecies. The present study aims to clarify these by inferring the pan-African spatial distribution of genetic diversity, using a comprehensive set of mitochondrial D-loop sequences from across the entire range of the species. All analyses converged on the existence of two distinct lineages, corresponding to a group encompassing West and Central African populations and a group encompassing East and Southern African populations. The former is currently assigned to two to three subspecies (S. c. nanus, S. c. brachyceros, S. c. aequinoctialis) and the latter to a separate subspecies (S. c. caffer). Forty-two per cent of the total amount of genetic diversity is explained by the between-lineage component, with one to seventeen female migrants per generation inferred as consistent with the isolation-with-migration model. The two lineages diverged between 145 000 to 449 000 years ago, with strong indications for a population expansion in both lineages, as revealed by coalescent-based analyses, summary statistics and a star-like topology of the haplotype network for the S. c. caffer lineage. A Bayesian analysis identified the most probable historical migration routes, with the Cape buffalo undertaking successive colonization events from Eastern toward Southern Africa. Furthermore, our analyses indicate that, in the West-Central African lineage, the forest ecophenotype may be a derived form of the savanna ecophenotype and not vice versa, as has previously been proposed. The African buffalo most likely expanded and diverged in the late to middle Pleistocene from an ancestral population located around the current-day Central African Republic, adapting morphologically to colonize new habitats, hence developing the variety of ecophenotypes observed today.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3578844?pdf=render
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Nathalie Smitz
Cécile Berthouly
Daniel Cornélis
Rasmus Heller
Pim Van Hooft
Philippe Chardonnet
Alexandre Caron
Herbert Prins
Bettine Jansen van Vuuren
Hans De Iongh
Johan Michaux
spellingShingle Nathalie Smitz
Cécile Berthouly
Daniel Cornélis
Rasmus Heller
Pim Van Hooft
Philippe Chardonnet
Alexandre Caron
Herbert Prins
Bettine Jansen van Vuuren
Hans De Iongh
Johan Michaux
Pan-African genetic structure in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer): investigating intraspecific divergence.
PLoS ONE
author_facet Nathalie Smitz
Cécile Berthouly
Daniel Cornélis
Rasmus Heller
Pim Van Hooft
Philippe Chardonnet
Alexandre Caron
Herbert Prins
Bettine Jansen van Vuuren
Hans De Iongh
Johan Michaux
author_sort Nathalie Smitz
title Pan-African genetic structure in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer): investigating intraspecific divergence.
title_short Pan-African genetic structure in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer): investigating intraspecific divergence.
title_full Pan-African genetic structure in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer): investigating intraspecific divergence.
title_fullStr Pan-African genetic structure in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer): investigating intraspecific divergence.
title_full_unstemmed Pan-African genetic structure in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer): investigating intraspecific divergence.
title_sort pan-african genetic structure in the african buffalo (syncerus caffer): investigating intraspecific divergence.
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
series PLoS ONE
issn 1932-6203
publishDate 2013-01-01
description The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) exhibits extreme morphological variability, which has led to controversies about the validity and taxonomic status of the various recognized subspecies. The present study aims to clarify these by inferring the pan-African spatial distribution of genetic diversity, using a comprehensive set of mitochondrial D-loop sequences from across the entire range of the species. All analyses converged on the existence of two distinct lineages, corresponding to a group encompassing West and Central African populations and a group encompassing East and Southern African populations. The former is currently assigned to two to three subspecies (S. c. nanus, S. c. brachyceros, S. c. aequinoctialis) and the latter to a separate subspecies (S. c. caffer). Forty-two per cent of the total amount of genetic diversity is explained by the between-lineage component, with one to seventeen female migrants per generation inferred as consistent with the isolation-with-migration model. The two lineages diverged between 145 000 to 449 000 years ago, with strong indications for a population expansion in both lineages, as revealed by coalescent-based analyses, summary statistics and a star-like topology of the haplotype network for the S. c. caffer lineage. A Bayesian analysis identified the most probable historical migration routes, with the Cape buffalo undertaking successive colonization events from Eastern toward Southern Africa. Furthermore, our analyses indicate that, in the West-Central African lineage, the forest ecophenotype may be a derived form of the savanna ecophenotype and not vice versa, as has previously been proposed. The African buffalo most likely expanded and diverged in the late to middle Pleistocene from an ancestral population located around the current-day Central African Republic, adapting morphologically to colonize new habitats, hence developing the variety of ecophenotypes observed today.
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3578844?pdf=render
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