Fennoscandian phylogeography of the common shrew Sorex araneus. Postglacial recolonisation—combining information from chromosomal variation with mitochondrial DNA data

We examine mtDNA variation of the common shrew in Fennoscandia to explore the incongruence found in previous studies using chromosomal and mitochondrial markers, aiming to reveal post-glacial recolonisation patterns. A total of 241 common shrews from 51 localities in Fennoscandia were analysed. This area includes a secondary contact zone between two groups (the Northern group and the Western group) showing distinct karyotypes. All individuals were sequenced for 447 bp of the mitochondrial control region. No significant differentiation in the mtDNA variation was observed between the two major chromosomal groups in Fennoscandia. The star-like shape of the sequence network for the entire study area shows the most common haplotype A as ancestral in all regions but one, in situ formation of most haplotypes and population expansion. The only significant mtDNA structure observed occurs between south Finland and the rest of Fennoscandia. We propose that the Northern and Western group shared a common refugium during the Last Glacial Maximum but recolonised Fennoscandia via two routes. Karyotypic differences between south and north Finland has led researchers to suggest that both regions originate from the same ancestral population east of Finland. The observed divergence of mtDNA variation between these two regions supports this hypothesis.