Assessing the origin, genetic structure and demographic history of the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) in the introduced European range.

The common pheasant, a game species widely introduced throughout the world, can be considered as an ideal model to study the effects of introduction events on local adaptations, biogeographic patterns, and genetic divergence processes. We aimed to assess the origin, spatial patterns of genetic variation, and demographic history of the introduced populations in the contact zone of Central and Southeast Europe, using mitochondrial DNA control region sequences and microsatellite loci. Both types of molecular markers indicated relatively low to moderate levels of genetic variation. The mtDNA analyses revealed that common pheasants across the study area are divided into two distinct clades: B (mongolicus group) and F (colchicus group). Analyses of the microsatellite data consistently suggested a differentiation between Hungary and Serbia, with the pheasant population in Hungary being much more genetically homogeneous, while that of Serbia has much more genetic mixture and admixture. This cryptic differentiation was not detected using a non-spatial Bayesian clustering model. The analyses also provided strong evidence for a recent population expansion. This fundamental information is essential for adequate and effective conservation management of populations of a game species of great economic and ecological importance in the studied geographical region.

Population Genetic Structure of the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) in the Carpathian Basin.

In the Carpathian Basin the wild boar (Sus scrofa) belongs among the most important game species both ecologically and economically, therefore knowing more about the basics of the genetics of the species is a key factor for accurate and sustainable management of its population. The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic diversity and to elucidate the genetic structure and location of wild boar populations in the Carpathian Basin. A total of 486 samples were collected and genotyped using 13 STR markers. The number of alleles varied between 4 and 14, at 9 of the 13 loci the observed heterozygosity was significantly different (p < 0.05) from the expected value, showing remarkable introgression in the population. The population was separated into two groups, with an Fst value of 0.03, suggesting the presence of two subpopulations. The first group included 147 individuals from the north-eastern part of Hungary, whereas the second group included 339 samples collected west and south of the first group. The two subpopulations' genetic indices are roughly similar. The lack of physical barriers between the two groups indicates that the genetic difference is most likely caused by the high reproduction rate and large home range of the wild boars, or by some genetic traces' having been preserved from both the last ice age and the period before the Hungarian water regulation.

Large-scale mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals new light on the phylogeography of Central and Eastern-European Brown hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778).

European brown hare, Lepus europaeus, from Central and Eastern European countries (Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Lithuania, Romania, Georgia and Italy) were sampled, and phylogenetic analyses were carried out on two datasets: 1.) 137 sequences (358 bp) of control region mtDNA; and 2.) 105 sequences of a concatenated fragment (916 bp), including the cytochrome b, tRNA-Thr, tRNA-Pro and control region mitochondrial DNA. Our sequences were aligned with additional brown hare sequences from GenBank. A total of 52 and 51 haplotypes were detected within the two datasets, respectively, and assigned to two previously described major lineages: Anatolian/Middle Eastern (AME) and European (EUR). Furthermore, the European lineage was divided into two subclades including South Eastern European (SEE) and Central European (CE). Sympatric distribution of the lineages of the brown hare in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe revealed contact zones there. BAPS analysis assigned sequences from L. europaeus to five genetic clusters, whereas CE individuals were assigned to only one cluster, and AME and SEE sequences were each assigned to two clusters. Our findings uncover numerous novel haplotypes of Anatolian/Middle Eastern brown hare outside their main range, as evidence for the combined influence of Late Pleistocene climatic fluctuations and anthropogenic activities in shaping the phylogeographic structure of the species. Our results support the hypothesis of a postglacial brown hare expansion from Anatolia and the Balkan Peninsula to Central and Eastern Europe, and suggest some slight introgression of individual haplotypes from L. timidus to L. europaeus.