TY  - JOUR
A1  - Westbury, Michael V.
A1  - Hartmann, Stefanie
A1  - Barlow, Axel
A1  - Wiesel, Ingrid
A1  - Leo, Viyanna
A1  - Welch, Rebecca
A1  - Parker, Daniel M.
A1  - Sicks, Florian
A1  - Ludwig, Arne
A1  - Dalen, Love
A1  - Hofreiter, Michael
T1  - Extended and continuous decline in effective population size results in low genomic diversity in the world's rarest hyena species, the brown hyena
JF  - Molecular biology and evolution
N2  - Hyenas (family Hyaenidae), as the sister group to cats (family Felidae), represent a deeply diverging branch within the cat-like carnivores (Feliformia). With an estimated population size of <10,000 individuals worldwide, the brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea) represents the rarest of the four extant hyena species and has been listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN. Here, we report a high-coverage genome from a captive bred brown hyena and both mitochondrial and low-coverage nuclear genomes of 14 wild-caught brown hyena individuals from across southern Africa. We find that brown hyena harbor extremely low genetic diversity on both the mitochondrial and nuclear level, most likely resulting from a continuous and ongoing decline in effective population size that started similar to 1 Ma and dramatically accelerated towards the end of the Pleistocene. Despite the strikingly low genetic diversity, we find no evidence of inbreeding within the captive bred individual and reveal phylogeographic structure, suggesting the existence of several potential subpopulations within the species.
KW  - evolution
KW  - hyena
KW  - genomics
KW  - population genomics
KW  - diversity
Y1  - 2018
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msy037
SN  - 0737-4038
SN  - 1537-1719
VL  - 35
IS  - 5
SP  - 1225
EP  - 1237
PB  - Oxford Univ. Press
CY  - Oxford
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Folkertsma, Remco
A1  - Westbury, Michael V.
A1  - Eccard, Jana
A1  - Hofreiter, Michael
T1  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the common vole, Microtus arvalis (Rodentia: Arvicolinae)
JF  - Mitochondrial DNA Part B
N2  - The common vole, Microtus arvalis belongs to the genus Microtus in the subfamily Arvicolinae. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of M. arvalis was recovered using shotgun sequencing and an iterative mapping approach using three related species. Phylogenetic analyses using the sequence of 21 arvicoline species place the common vole as a sister species to the East European vole (Microtus levis), but as opposed to previous results we find no support for the recognition of the genus Neodon within the subfamily Arvicolinae, as this is, as well as the genus Lasiopodomys, found within the Microtus genus.
KW  - Microtus arvalis
KW  - Arvicolinae
KW  - mitochondrial genome
KW  - common vole
KW  - phylogeny
Y1  - 2018
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2018.1457994
SN  - 2380-2359
VL  - 3
IS  - 1
SP  - 446
EP  - 447
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Beermann, Jan
A1  - Westbury, Michael V.
A1  - Hofreiter, Michael
A1  - Hilgers, Leon
A1  - Deister, Fabian
A1  - Neumann, Hermann
A1  - Raupach, Michael J.
T1  - Cryptic species in a well-known habitat
BT  - applying taxonomics to the amphipod genus Epimeria (Crustacea, Peracarida)
JF  - Scientific reports
N2  - Taxonomy plays a central role in biological sciences. It provides a communication system for scientists as it aims to enable correct identification of the studied organisms. As a consequence, species descriptions should seek to include as much available information as possible at species level to follow an integrative concept of 'taxonomics'. Here, we describe the cryptic species Epimeria frankei sp. nov. from the North Sea, and also redescribe its sister species, Epimeria cornigera. The morphological information obtained is substantiated by DNA barcodes and complete nuclear 18S rRNA gene sequences. In addition, we provide, for the first time, full mitochondrial genome data as part of a metazoan species description for a holotype, as well as the neotype. This study represents the first successful implementation of the recently proposed concept of taxonomics, using data from high-throughput technologies for integrative taxonomic studies, allowing the highest level of confidence for both biodiversity and ecological research.
Y1  - 2018
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25225-x
SN  - 2045-2322
VL  - 8
PB  - Nature Publ. Group
CY  - London
ER  -