1. Introgression among maternal lineages inferred from complete mitogenomes and molecular dating helps resolve phylogeography of European roe deerElena Bužan, Stefan Cidilko, Luka Duniš, Tilen Komel, Boštjan Pokorny, A. J. M. Hewison, Anna Korzekwa, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: Background The European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is one of the most widespread ungulates in Europe, with a phylogeographic structure mainly shaped by Pleistocene glacial cycles and secondary contacts with the Siberian roe deer (C. pygargus). Methods We sequenced 52 complete mitogenomes of C. capreolus from Slovenia, Poland and France, and combined them with 24 publicly available sequences of C. capreolus and C. pygargus, yielding an alignment of 76 genomes representing 59 haplotypes (42 from C. capreolus and 17 from C. pygargus). Phylogeographic structure was assessed using a median-joining network, and divergence times were estimated using a time-calibrated Bayesian phylogeny based on mitochondrial coding regions, incorporating published ancient C. pygargus mitogenomes. We additionally screened mitochondrial protein-coding genes for selection. Results The haplotype network recovered the three major European roe deer clades (Eastern, Central, and Western) and detected Central-clade haplotypes in France. Two Polish haplotypes (Cp9 and Cp10), detected in C. capreolus, clustered within the C. pygargus mitochondrial lineage, supporting mitochondrial introgression. Time-calibrated phylogenies placed introgressed haplotypes within established C. pygargus lineages. Selection analyses provided limited evidence for episodic positive selection restricted to a small number of codons. Conclusions Whole mitogenomes improve resolution of roe deer phylogeography and reveal introgressed maternal lineages, while time-calibrated phylogenies and selection tests add evolutionary context for interpreting mtDNA diversity in genus Capreolus.
Keywords: mitogenome, introgression, Bayesian molecular dating, Roe deer, phylogeography
Published in RUP: 15.07.2026; Views: 329; Downloads: 14
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2. First insight into genetic diversity of two sympatric marten species between the Alps and Adriatic islandsElena Bužan, Luka Duniš, Tilen Komel, Boštjan Pokorny, Carlos Rodríguez Fernandes, Zoran Marčić, Magda Sindičić, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: Closely related species occupying the same geographical area may exhibit markedly different genetic patterns due to differences in evolutionary history, ecology and behaviour. In this study, a population genetics approach is applied to investigate the genetic structure, diversity, and connectivity of two sympatric carnivore species, i.e., the European pine marten (Martes martes) and the stone marten (Martes foina) in Croatia and Slovenia. We analysed mitochondrial DNA sequences for both species (28 pine marten and 104 stone marten samples, respectively) and additionally investigated nuclear microsatellite markers for 182 stone martens. For stone marten, we found a significant genetic structuring, with pronounced differentiation between island and mainland populations, and a further substructure within the mainland. But no significant isolation by distance was detected (Mantel test, p = 0.15), indicating that differentiation is primarily shaped by island–mainland separation and other geographical discontinuities rather than by distance alone. In contrast, pine marten exhib- ited moderate haplotype diversity and limited spatial resolution due to the smaller sample size. These contrasting patterns underscore species-specific responses to natural geographical barriers and highlight the need to tailor management strategies accordingly.
Keywords: population genetics, martens, haplotype, microsatellites
Published in RUP: 20.05.2026; Views: 493; Downloads: 12
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