Invasion genetics of a human commensal rodent: the black rat Rattus rattus in Madagascar

• DOI: 10.1111/mec.12848
• Publication Date: 2014-07-01T01:05:25Z
• Authors: C. Brouat; C. Tollenaere; A. Estoup; A. Loiseau; S. Sommer; R. Soanandrasana; L. Rahalison; M. Rajerison; S. Piry; S. M. Goodman; J.‐M. Duplantier
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; 550; [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]; Molecular Sequence Data; 590; phylogeography; DNA, Mitochondrial; 01 natural sciences; microsatellites; invasive species; Evolution, Molecular; approximate Bayesian computation; island colonization; island; Madagascar; Animals; D-loop; Islands; rodent; Bayes Theorem; Sequence Analysis, DNA; 15. Life on land; colonization; Rats; Phylogeography; Genetics, Population; Microsatellite Repeats

Abstract Studies focusing on geographical genetic patterns of commensal species and human history complement each other provide proxies to trace common colonization events. On Madagascar, the unintentional introduction spread R attus rattus by people may have left a living clue history. In this study, we addressed question characterizing structure natural populations . using both microsatellites mitochondrial sequences, an extensive sampling across island. Such data sets were analysed combination methods population genetics, phylogeography approximate B ayesian computation. Our results indicated two events M adagascar from same ancestral source , one in extreme north island further south. The latter was large spatial expansion, which initially started original point located southern coast. inferred timing events—several centuries ago—is temporally congruent with A rabian trade network I ndian O cean, flourishing middle first millennium.