Population structure and demographic history of the chukar partridge Alectoris chukar in China

Pleistocene climate fluctuations have shaped the patterns of genetic diversity observed in extant species. Although the effects of recent glacial cycles on genetic diversity have been well studied on species in Europe and North America, genetic legacy of species in the Pleistocene in north and northwest of China where glaciations was not synchronous with the ice sheet development in the Northern Hemisphere or or had little or no ice cover during the glaciations’ period, remains poorly understood. Here we used phylogeographic methods to investigate the genetic structure and population history of the chukar partridge Alectoris chukar in north and northwest China. A 1,152 – 1,154 bp portion of the mtDNA CR were sequenced for all 279 specimens and a total number of 91 haplotypes were defined by 113 variable sites. High levels of gene flow were found and gene flow estimates were greater than 1 for most population pairs in our study. The AMOVA analysis showed that 81% and 16% of the total genetic variability was found within populations and among populations within groups, respectively. The demographic history of chukar was examined using neutrality tests and mismatch distribution analyses and results indicated Late Pleistocene population expansion. Results revealed that most populations of chukar experienced population expansion during 0.027 ‒ 0.06 Ma. These results are at odds with the results found in Europe and North America, where population expansions occurred after Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 0.023 to 0.018 Ma). Our results are not consistent with the results from avian species of Tibetan Plateau, either, where species experienced population expansion following the retreat of the extensive glaciation period (0.5 to 0.175 Ma) [Current Zoology 59 (4): 458–474, 2013].