Turner Jessica, Carbone Chris, Lawson Becki, Seilern-Macpherson Katharina, Faulkes Chris
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London London UK.
School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences Queen Mary University of London London UK.
Ecol Evol. 2025 Jul 17;15(7):e71729. doi: 10.1002/ece3.71729. eCollection 2025 Jul.
Preserving genetic diversity within species and populations is an important conservation goal, yet observed genetic structure can be influenced by both contemporary and historical processes. Here, we investigate the phylogeography of the western European hedgehog () in Greater London, east and south-east England, using DNA sequence analysis of a section of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and control region. We find seven haplotypes within the study region, of which six are novel, indicating higher diversity than previously identified in the UK. Comparison with published haplotypes from mainland Europe identified low sequence divergence from those found in France and Jersey. Most haplotypes were widespread within south-east England, in contrast to strong spatial clustering of haplotypes seen at broader scales across Europe. However, local haplotype diversity varied within the study region, with some evidence supporting the view that genetic isolation has led to an absence of haplotypes in urban sites in central London. Broader UK-wide sampling is recommended to ascertain whether additional haplotype lineages and geographic structuring exist at larger spatial scales in the UK. These findings may have important considerations for future hedgehog conservation efforts.
保护物种和种群内的遗传多样性是一项重要的保护目标，但观察到的遗传结构可能受到当代和历史过程的影响。在这里，我们利用线粒体细胞色素b基因和控制区的一段DNA序列分析，研究了大伦敦、英格兰东部和东南部的西欧刺猬（）的系统地理学。我们在研究区域内发现了七种单倍型，其中六种是新的，这表明该区域的多样性高于英国此前所确定的水平。与欧洲大陆已发表的单倍型进行比较后发现，与法国和泽西岛发现的单倍型相比，序列差异较低。与欧洲更广泛尺度上观察到的单倍型强烈空间聚类不同，大多数单倍型在英格兰东南部广泛分布。然而，研究区域内当地的单倍型多样性有所不同，有证据支持这样一种观点，即基因隔离导致伦敦市中心的城市地区缺乏某些单倍型。建议在英国范围内进行更广泛的采样，以确定在更大的空间尺度上是否存在其他单倍型谱系和地理结构。这些发现可能对未来刺猬的保护工作具有重要意义。
