Environmental margin and island evolution in Middle Eastern populations of the Egyptian fruit bat

Abstract

Phylogeography and island evolution of Egyptian fruit bat in the Middle East was analyzed using population and landscape genetic approach. In contrast to populations in climax rainforest ecosystems, isolation by distance and peripatric effects were detected within study area.

Demographic analyses indicate the role of anthropogenic changes in environment in evolution of abovementioned phenomena.

Keywords

• Cyprus
• Egyptian fruit bat
• founder effect
• island speciation
• microsatellites
• Middle East
• mitochondrial DNA
• range margin