Relationships of Late Pleistocene giant deer as revealed by Sinomegaceros mitogenomes from East Asia
Bo Xiao,
Alba Rey-lglesia,
Junxia Yuan,
Jiaming Hu,
Shiwen Song,
Yamei Hou,
Xi Chen,
Mietje Germonpré,
Lei Bao,
Siren Wang,
Taogetongqimuge,
Lbova Liudmila Valentinovna,
Adrian M. Lister,
Xulong Lai,
Guilian Sheng
Affiliations
Bo Xiao
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China; School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Alba Rey-lglesia
Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Junxia Yuan
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China; Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China
Jiaming Hu
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China; School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Shiwen Song
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China; School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China
Yamei Hou
Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
Xi Chen
Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China
Mietje Germonpré
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Lei Bao
Ordos Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Ordos 017010, China
Siren Wang
Daqing Museum, Daqing 163319, China
Taogetongqimuge
Wushen Banner Museum, Ordos 017399, China
Lbova Liudmila Valentinovna
Graduate School of International Relations, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, Grazhdansky Av., 28, Russia
Adrian M. Lister
Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK; Corresponding author
Xulong Lai
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China; School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Corresponding author
Guilian Sheng
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China; School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China; Corresponding author
Summary: The giant deer, widespread in northern Eurasia during the Late Pleistocene, have been classified as western Megaloceros and eastern Sinomegaceros through morphological studies. While Megaloceros’s evolutionary history has been unveiled through mitogenomes, Sinomegaceros remains molecularly unexplored. Herein, we generated mitogenomes of giant deer from East Asia. We find that, in contrast to the morphological differences between Megaloceros and Sinomegaceros, they are mixed in the mitochondrial phylogeny, and Siberian specimens suggest a range contact or overlap between these two groups. Meanwhile, one deep divergent clade and another surviving until 20.1 thousand years ago (ka) were detected in northeastern China, the latter implying this area as a potential refugium during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Moreover, stable isotope analyses indicate correlations between climate-introduced vegetation changes and giant deer extinction. Our study demonstrates the genetic relationship between eastern and western giant deer and explores the promoters of their extirpation in northern East Asia.
