title: Phylogeography of the Alpine salamander, Salamandra atra (Salamandridae) and the influence of the Pleistocene climatic oscillations on population divergence.
abstract: Fifty individuals of the endemic Alpine salamander, Salamandra atra, representing 13 populations throughout the range of the two currently recognized subspecies, atra and aurorae, were examined for sequence variation in a large portion (1050 bp) of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. We revealed a large number of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes (10). Interpopulation sequence divergence was very low, ranging from 0 to 3.1%. The relationships among haplotypes were poorly resolved. The divergence time estimate between several mtDNA haplotypes suggested a pre-Pleistocene differentiation approximately 3 million years ago. Moreover, the impact of the Pleistocene glaciations on the phylogeographical patterns appears to have been secondary, although a somewhat reduced genetic variability was found in populations living in areas that were directly affected by the glaciation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie des Populations d'Altitude, CNRS UMR 5553, Université Joseph Fourier, BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble cedex 9, France. riberon@cict.fr
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Riberon
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miaud
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grossenbacher
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Taberlet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002980:Climate; D003573:Cytochrome b Group / Q000235:genetics*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D005060:Europe; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D010802:Phylogeny; D014562:Caudata / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D003573:Cytochrome b Group; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial