Bertola L D, Jongbloed H, van der Gaag K J, de Knijff P, Yamaguchi N, Hooghiemstra H, Bauer H, Henschel P, White P A, Driscoll C A, Tende T, Ottosson U, Saidu Y, Vrieling K, de Iongh H H
Leiden University, Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), PO Box 9518, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
Leiden University, Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), PO Box 9505, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
Sci Rep. 2016 Aug 4;6:30807. doi: 10.1038/srep30807.
Comparative phylogeography of African savannah mammals shows a congruent pattern in which populations in West/Central Africa are distinct from populations in East/Southern Africa. However, for the lion, all African populations are currently classified as a single subspecies (Panthera leo leo), while the only remaining population in Asia is considered to be distinct (Panthera leo persica). This distinction is disputed both by morphological and genetic data. In this study we introduce the lion as a model for African phylogeography. Analyses of mtDNA sequences reveal six supported clades and a strongly supported ancestral dichotomy with northern populations (West Africa, Central Africa, North Africa/Asia) on one branch, and southern populations (North East Africa, East/Southern Africa and South West Africa) on the other. We review taxonomies and phylogenies of other large savannah mammals, illustrating that similar clades are found in other species. The described phylogeographic pattern is considered in relation to large scale environmental changes in Africa over the past 300,000 years, attributable to climate. Refugial areas, predicted by climate envelope models, further confirm the observed pattern. We support the revision of current lion taxonomy, as recognition of a northern and a southern subspecies is more parsimonious with the evolutionary history of the lion.
非洲大草原哺乳动物的比较系统地理学显示出一种一致的模式，即西非/中非的种群与东非/南非的种群不同。然而，对于狮子来说，目前所有非洲种群都被归类为单一亚种（非洲狮指名亚种），而亚洲仅存的种群则被认为是不同的（亚洲狮）。这种区分在形态学和遗传学数据上都存在争议。在本研究中，我们引入狮子作为非洲系统地理学的一个模型。线粒体DNA序列分析揭示了六个得到支持的分支以及一个得到强烈支持的祖先二分法，其中一个分支是北方种群（西非、中非、北非/亚洲），另一个分支是南方种群（东北非、东非/南非和西南非）。我们回顾了其他大型草原哺乳动物的分类学和系统发育，表明在其他物种中也发现了类似的分支。我们结合过去30万年非洲因气候导致的大规模环境变化来考虑所描述的系统地理模式。气候包络模型预测的避难区域进一步证实了观察到的模式。我们支持对当前狮子分类学进行修订，因为承认北方和南方亚种与狮子的进化历史更为简约。
