American mastodon mitochondrial genomes suggest multiple dispersal events in response to Pleistocene climate oscillations

Emil Karpinski (), Dirk Hackenberger, Grant Zazula, Chris Widga, Ana T. Duggan, G. Brian Golding, Melanie Kuch, Jennifer Klunk, Christopher N. Jass, Pam Groves, Patrick Druckenmiller, Blaine W. Schubert, Joaquin Arroyo-Cabrales, William F. Simpson, John W. Hoganson, Daniel C. Fisher, Simon Y. W. Ho, Ross D. E. MacPhee and Hendrik N. Poinar ()
Additional contact information
Emil Karpinski: McMaster University
Dirk Hackenberger: McMaster University
Grant Zazula: Government of Yukon
Chris Widga: East Tennessee State University
Ana T. Duggan: McMaster University
G. Brian Golding: McMaster University
Melanie Kuch: McMaster University
Jennifer Klunk: McMaster University
Christopher N. Jass: Royal Alberta Museum
Pam Groves: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Patrick Druckenmiller: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Blaine W. Schubert: East Tennessee State University
Joaquin Arroyo-Cabrales: Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia
William F. Simpson: Field Museum of Natural History
John W. Hoganson: North Dakota Geological Survey
Daniel C. Fisher: University of Michigan
Simon Y. W. Ho: University of Sydney
Ross D. E. MacPhee: American Museum of Natural History
Hendrik N. Poinar: McMaster University

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles are correlated with dramatic temperature oscillations. Examining how species responded to these natural fluctuations can provide valuable insights into the impacts of present-day anthropogenic climate change. Here we present a phylogeographic study of the extinct American mastodon (Mammut americanum), based on 35 complete mitochondrial genomes. These data reveal the presence of multiple lineages within this species, including two distinct clades from eastern Beringia. Our molecular date estimates suggest that these clades arose at different times, supporting a pattern of repeated northern expansion and local extirpation in response to glacial cycling. Consistent with this hypothesis, we also note lower levels of genetic diversity among northern mastodons than in endemic clades south of the continental ice sheets. The results of our study highlight the complex relationships between population dispersals and climate change, and can provide testable hypotheses for extant species expected to experience substantial biogeographic impacts from rising temperatures.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17893-z

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