Processes such as climate fluctuations together with recent volcanism have driven the diversification and local persistence of biodiversity within the Mexican highlands. We reconstruct the phylogeographic pattern and historical demography of the volcano rabbit, Romerolagus diazi, an endemic lagomorph in central Mexico, to elucidate the effect of the climate-volcanism interaction on its evolutionary history. We sequenced two mtDNA regions for 152 individuals from 45 sample sites located at the volcanic fields Sierra Chichinautzin and Sierra Nevada. We surveyed the genetic diversity, and reconstructed and dated an intraspecific phylogeny. The effective population size trough time was estimated, and an Ecological Niche Model was projected onto the past. Results showed a well-supported phylogeny with five monophyletic lineages with a north to south geographic pattern at Sierra Nevada, and east to west at Sierra Chichinautzin. Dating estimates indicated that those lineages might have started their diversification ca. 1.4 Ma, which agrees with the geological dating reported for the volcanic fields rising. We detected changes in demographic history and potential distribution, with a global population expansion during the Last Glacial Maximum and a retraction during the Last Interglacial period. The molecular evidence showed that the volcano rabbit had a dynamic evolutionary history molded by geological and climatic events during the Pleistocene. The volcanic events that shaped Sierra Chichinautzin and Sierra Nevada generated regions that allowed the colonization, isolation and posterior in-situ diversification of their populations. Additionally, the climatic fluctuations of the latest glacial-interglacial cycles promoted altitudinal populations shifts, with a sky-island dynamic that allowed their persistence.

中文翻译：

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火山兔（Romerolagus diazi）的系统地理学：墨西哥中部高地气候-火山相互作用塑造的山地专家的进化史

气候波动以及最近的火山活动等过程推动了墨西哥高地生物多样性的多样化和当地持久性。我们重建了火山兔 Romerolagus diazi 的系统地理模式和历史人口统计学，Romerolagus diazi 是墨西哥中部的一种地方性兔类动物，以阐明气候-火山作用对其进化历史的影响。我们对位于 Sierra Chichinautzin 和 Sierra Nevada 火山区的 45 个样本点的 152 个人的两个 mtDNA 区域进行了测序。我们调查了遗传多样性，并重建了种内系统发育并确定了年代。估计有效种群规模的低谷时间，并将生态位模型投影到过去。结果表明，内华达山脉有五个单系谱系，从北到南的地理模式，以及奇奇纳乌津山脉的东到西地理模式，得到了充分支持的系统发育。约会估计表明，这些谱系可能已经开始多样化。1.4 Ma，与所报告的火山场上升的地质年代一致。我们检测到人口历史和潜在分布的变化，在末次冰盛期期间全球人口扩张，在末次间冰期收缩。分子证据表明，火山兔具有由更新世地质和气候事件塑造的动态进化历史。塑造奇奇纳钦山脉和内华达山脉的火山事件产生了允许殖民的地区，其种群的隔离和后原地多样化。此外，最新的冰期-间冰期循环的气候波动促进了海拔高度的变化，天空岛动态使它们能够持续存在。