RT Journal Article
T1 Ancient DNA reveals lack of postglacial habitat tracking in the arctic fox
A1 Dalén, Love
A1 Nyström, Veronica
A1 Valdiosera Morales, Cristina
A1 Germonpré, Mietje
A1 Sablin, Mikhail
A1 Turner, Elaine
A1 Angerbjörn, Anders
A1 Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis
A1 Götherström, Anders
AB How species respond to an increased availability of habitat, for example at the end of the last glaciation, has been well established. In contrast, little is known about the opposite process, when the amount of habitat decreases. The hypothesis of habitat tracking predicts that species should be able to track both increases and decreases in habitat availability. The alternative hypothesis is that populations outside refugia become extinct during periods of unsuitable climate. To test these hypotheses, we used ancient DNA techniques to examine genetic variation in the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) through an expansion/contraction cycle. The results show that the arctic fox in midlatitude Europe became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene and did not track the habitat when it shifted to the north. Instead, a high genetic similarity between the extant populations in Scandinavia and Siberia suggests an eastern origin for the Scandinavian population at the end of the last glaciation. These results provide new insights into how species respond to climate change, since they suggest that populations are unable to track decreases in habitat availability. This implies that arctic species may be particularly vulnerable to increases in global temperatures.
PB National Academy of Sciences
SN 0027-8424
YR 2007
FD 2007
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/94556
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/94556
LA eng
NO Dalén, Love, et al. «Ancient DNA Reveals Lack of Postglacial Habitat Tracking in the Arctic Fox». Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 104, n.o 16, abril de 2007, pp. 6726-29. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0701341104.
NO Swedish Research Council
NO EU-Life to SEFALO+
NO Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (España)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 6 abr 2025