Genetic structure of a widespread alpine shrub Rhododendron aureum (Ericaceae) across East Asia.

The vast territory of East Asia, including southwestern Beringia, is considered to have been almost ice free during the Pleistocene. Cold-resistant flora may have persisted in this region expanding or contracting its range during the climate cooling. Only a few plant genera have been studied with a sampling area across their entire geographic range in East Asia; therefore, the understanding of the biogeographic history of alpine flora in this region remains limited. In the present study, genetic variation and population structure in 21 populations of the alpine shrub Rhododendron aureum across its range in East Asia were assessed using 18 microsatellite loci. Phylogenetic analyses revealed three main genetic groups: Siberia, Northeast, and North Pacific. According to the geographical pattern of genetic diversity, the North Pacific group includes populations from Kamchatka, south of Russian Far East, and territories close to central Japan. This group is the most diverse and likely diverged earlier than the Siberia and Northeast groups. Ecological niche modeling predicts range expansion of this species during the period of cooling and, together with demographic history, suggests that the divergence between the three main genetic groups predated the Last Glacial Maximum. Similar to other cold-resistant species such as Larix sibirica and Juniperus communis, the pattern of genetic diversity of R. aureum supports the survival of the species at high latitudes during the Pleistocene with limited contribution of the southern populations to expansion of the species range to the Northeast region and Siberia.

Asia-wide phylogeography of wild boar (Sus scrofa) based on mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome: Revising the migration routes of wild boar in Asia.

Genetics of pigs has been well studied in Europe and Asia, but most of previous studies of molecular phylogeny of Sus scrofa have been based on sequences of both wild and domestic forms. In this study we analysed genetic traits of Sus scrofa from 13 regions in Asia (including previously undisclosed Eastern Caucasus and Trans-Baikal regions) using purely wild boar samples. Mitochondrial control region and Y-chromosome genes (AMELY & USP9Y) were employed to resolve phylogeographic relationships. We discussed spatio-temporal dynamics of wild boar distribution and compared molecular data to morphological and cytogenetic data on wild boar variability and taxonomy. A total of 51 haplotypes were detected in mtDNA control region and five haplotypes were found in combined sequences of Y-chromosome genes. The phylogeography of Asia-wide wild boars supported a hypothesis of migration from South-East Asia to South Asia, followed by migration to East and West Asia. We present a hypothesis about independent dispersal of wild boars into West Asia from South and North-East Asia. Mitochondrial DNA phylogeny generally fits the morphologically based intraspecies taxonomy. Distribution of chromosomal variants of wild boar presently does not show clear correlation with mtDNA clades.