Post-glacial recolonization of the Great Lakes region by the common gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis) inferred from mtDNA sequences
Placyk JS, Burghardt GM, Small RL, Richard KB, Casper GS, Robinson JW. 2007. Post-glacial recolonization of the Great Lakes region by the common gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis) inferred from mtDNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 43:452-467
Pleistocene events played an important role in the diVerentiation of North American vertebrate populations. Michigan, in particular, and the Great Lakes region, in general, were greatly inXuenced by the last glaciation. While several hypotheses regarding the recolonization of this region have been advanced, none have been strongly supported. We generated 148 complete ND2 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) populations throughout the Great Lakes region to evaluate phylogeographic patterns and population structure and to determine whether the distribution of haplotypic variants is related to the post-Pleistocene retreat of the Wisconsin an glacier. The common garter snake was utilized, as it is believed to have been one of the primary vertebrate invaders of the Great Lakes region following the most recent period of glacial retreat and because it has been a model species for a variety of evolutionary, ecological, behavioral, and physiological studies. Several genetically distinct evolutionary lineages were supported by both genealogical and molecular population genetic analyses, although to diVerent degrees. The geographic distribution of the majority of these lineages is interpreted as reXecting post-glacial recolonization dynamics during the late Pleistocene. These Wndings generally support previous hypotheses of range expansion in this region.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Placyk, John; Burghardt, Gordon; Small, Randall; Richard, King; Casper, Gary; Robinson, Jace
- Units
- APIS , GLKN
- Keywords
- Glaciation, Great Lakes, Michigan, Mitochondrial DNA, Molecular phylogeography, Natricine, Nested clade analysis, Recolonization, Thamnophis, Thamnophis sirtalis