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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
Multiple geographic origins of commensalism and complex dispersal history of black rats
PLoS ONE, Volume 6, No. 11, Article e26357, Year 2011
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Description
The Black Rat (Rattus rattus) spread out of Asia to become one of the world's worst agricultural and urban pests, and a reservoir or vector of numerous zoonotic diseases, including the devastating plague. Despite the global scale and inestimable cost of their impacts on both human livelihoods and natural ecosystems, little is known of the global genetic diversity of Black Rats, the timing and directions of their historical dispersals, and the risks associated with contemporary movements. We surveyed mitochondrial DNA of Black Rats collected across their global range as a first step towards obtaining an historical genetic perspective on this socioeconomically important group of rodents. We found a strong phylogeographic pattern with well-differentiated lineages of Black Rats native to South Asia, the Himalayan region, southern Indochina, and northern Indochina to East Asia, and a diversification that probably commenced in the early Middle Pleistocene. We also identified two other currently recognised species of Rattus as potential derivatives of a paraphyletic R. rattus. Three of the four phylogenetic lineage units within R. rattus show clear genetic signatures of major population expansion in prehistoric times, and the distribution of particular haplogroups mirrors archaeologically and historically documented patterns of human dispersal and trade. Commensalism clearly arose multiple times in R. rattus and in widely separated geographic regions, and this may account for apparent regionalism in their associated pathogens. Our findings represent an important step towards deeper understanding the complex and influential relationship that has developed between Black Rats and humans, and invite a thorough re-examination of host-pathogen associations among Black Rats. © 2011 Aplin et al.
Available Materials
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3206810/bin/pone.0026357.s001.doc
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3206810/bin/pone.0026357.s002.doc
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3206810/bin/pone.0026357.s003.doc
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3206810/bin/pone.0026357.s004.doc
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3206810/bin/pone.0026357.s005.doc
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3206810/bin/pone.0026357.s006.doc
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3206810/bin/pone.0026357.s007.doc
Authors & Co-Authors
Aplin, Ken P.
Australia, Canberra
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Suzuki, Hitoshi
Japan, Sapporo
Hokkaido University
Chinen, Alejandro A.
Japan, Sapporo
Hokkaido University
Chesser, R. Terry
United States, Washington, D.c.
Smithsonian Institution
ten Have, José
Australia, Canberra
Office of the Gene Technology Regulator
Donnellan, Stephen C.
Australia, Adelaide
The University of Adelaide
Austin, Jeremy J.
Australia, Adelaide
The University of Adelaide
Frost, Angela
Australia, Canberra
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Gonzalez, J. P.
Thailand, Nakhon Pathom
Mahidol University
Herbreteau, Vincent
Thailand, Nakhon Pathom
Mahidol University
Catzeflis, François M.
France, Montpellier
Institut Des Sciences de L’evolution de Montpellier
Soubrier, Julien
Australia, Adelaide
The University of Adelaide
Fang, Yin Ping
Taiwan, Chiayi
National Chiayi University
Robins, Judith
New Zealand, Auckland
The University of Auckland
Matisoo-Smith, Elizabeth A.
New Zealand, Dunedin
University of Otago
Bastos, Armanda Duarte Slager
South Africa, Pretoria
University of Pretoria
Maryanto, Ibnu
Indonesia, Central Jakarta
Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia
Sinaga, Martua H.
Indonesia, Central Jakarta
Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia
Denys, Christiane
France, Paris
Museum National D'histoire Naturelle
van Den Bussche, Ronald A.
United States, Stillwater
Oklahoma State University
Conroy, Chris John
United States, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
Rowe, Kevin Christopher
United States, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
Cooper, Alan C.
Australia, Adelaide
The University of Adelaide
Statistics
Citations: 23
Authors: 23
Affiliations: 15
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0026357
e-ISSN:
19326203
Research Areas
Genetics And Genomics
Infectious Diseases
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study