Pleistocene climatic changes drive expansion and fragmentation in a widespread arid zone specialist, Petrogale lateralis
This project examined the evolutionary and demographic history of the black-footed rock-wallaby in Australia. The project assembled 1934 exon sequences from 97 individuals representing widespread sampling of the five Petrogale lateralis sub-species for phylogenetic and population genetic analyses to examine the divergence history of the sub-species and the genetic diversity and demographic history of the populations across the distribution of Petrogale lateralis. Analyses reveal a history of recent divergence and demographic expansion, followed by contemporary lack of gene flow and potential bottlenecks for isolated populations.