The authenticity of controversial species is a significant challenge for systematic biologists. Moschidae is a small family of musk deer in the Artiodactyla, composing only one genus, Moschus. Historically, the number of species in the Moschidae family has been debated. Presently, most musk deer species were restricted in the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding/adjacent areas, which implied that the evolution of Moschus might have been punctuated by the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we aimed to determine the evolutionary history and delimit the species in Moschus by exploring the complete mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) and other mitochondrial gene. Our study demonstrated that six species, M. leucogaster, M. fuscus, M. moschiferus, M. berezovskii, M. chrysogaster and M. anhuiensis, were authentic species in the genus Moschus. Phylogenetic analysis and molecular dating showed that the ancestor of the present Moschidae originates from Tibetan Plateau which suggested that the evolution of Moschus was prompted by the most intense orogenic movement of the Tibetan Plateau during the Pliocene age, and alternating glacial-interglacial geological eras.
Anhui Key Laboratory of Eco-engineering and Bio-technique, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, China;Anhui Key Laboratory of Eco-engineering and Bio-technique, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, China;School of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 230039, Jiangsu, China;Anhui Key Laboratory of Eco-engineering and Bio-technique, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, China;Anhui Key Laboratory of Eco-engineering and Bio-technique, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, China;Guangxi Forest Inventory and Planning Institute, Nanning, 530011, Guangxi, China;School of Environment and Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 100872, China;Anhui Key Laboratory of Eco-engineering and Bio-technique, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, China
Recommended Citation:
Tao Pan,Hui Wang,Chaochao Hu,et al. Species Delimitation in the Genus Moschus (Ruminantia: Moschidae) and Its High-Plateau Origin[J]. PLOS ONE,2015-01-01,10(8)