PG Thesis
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Item Phylogenetic analysis of the endemic and threatened bat Hipposideros pomona K. Andersen, 1918 (Chiropetra: Hipposideridae) in the Western Ghats(College of Forestry, Vellanikkara, 2023-03-02) Abhin M Sunil; Nameer, P OHipposideros pomona K. Andersen, 1918 is a small to medium sized insectivorous bat species endemic to the southern Western Ghats (SWG). According to IUCN, the species is endangered due to its restricted distributional. It is found mainly in thick forests of mid to high elevations of the SWG. Biogeographic barriers can act as a barrier to species dispersal, resulting in reproductive isolation and thus aiding speciation. The effect of the barriers depends on the motility of the animal. Actively moving and robust animals, such as higher vertebrates, may disperse across more minor barriers, while less mobile animals could be restricted due to the same. The 30 km wide Palghat gap in the SWG acts as a barrier to the species movement for many forest depended species, consequently acting as a barrier for gene flow, which can result in speciation as well as increase the chances of gene pool isolation. This barrier could affect the movement between subpopulations of H. pomona in the south and north of the Palghat gap. The current study was conducted in Kerala part of the SWG, on the locations where H. pomona was previously recorded. Bat sampling was carried out using harp traps of dimension 1.5m width, 2.2m height, 7.5cm between four frames and 2.5 cm between vertical monofilament fishing lines. Sixteen standard morphological measurements were taken on the bats captured in the harp trap (to the nearest 0.1mm) using a digital vernier calliper. Wing punches of 3 mm diameter were taken with a sterile biopsy punch, preserved in molecular grade ethanol, and stored in a deep freezer. DNA extraction was carried out using the standard protocol. Polymerase chain reaction performed to amplify the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (COI), mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cyt b). Bat acoustic recordings were made using an ultrasound detector and analysed using the software BatSound Touch. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using software Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis Version 11 (MEGA 11) and Population Analysis with Reticulate Trees (POPART). Morphometric analyses, acoustic analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) of morphometric parameters were done in R software. The current known distribution of H. pomona is restricted to the SWG, and the species was elevated to endangered status in IUCN red list due to the current restricted range. However, no genetic studies have been conducted to confirm the split. Present study results confirm that H. pomona and H. gentilis are genetically distinct species. Within the SWG, the Palghat gap is a potential biogeographic barrier for H. pomona. The present study compared the forearm length (FA), length of first phalanx of third metacarpal (1PH3MT), and length of fourth metacarpal (4MT) – (Morphometry), and frequency of maximum energy FmaxE (Acoustics) of H. pomona subpopulations in the north and south of the Palghat gap and found significant variation, indicating that they are phenotypically distinct. However, the PCA result indicated that these subpopulations are cryptic. Overall, phylogenetic analysis of H. pomona, which was recently split from H. gentilis solely based on morphology, was done by comparing mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 genome, which showed a clear difference between the two species. Acoustic and morphometric analysis of the H. pomona subpopulations in the north and south of the Palghat gap revealed that they are phenotypically distinct. The PCA done on the morphometric parameters revealed that the subpopulations of H. pomona across the Palghat gap are morphologically cryptic.