Data from: Scale-specific sex-biased dispersal in the Valais shrew unveiled by genetic variation on the Y chromosome, autosomes, and mitochondrial DNA

We investigated sex-specificities in the evolutionary processes shaping Y chromosome, autosomes and mitochondrial DNA patterns of genetic structure in the Valais shrew (Sorex antinorii), a mountain dwelling species with a hierarchical distribution. Both hierarchical analyses of variance and isolation-by-distance analyses revealed patterns of population structure that were not consistent across maternal, paternal and bi-parentally inherited markers. Differentiation on a Y microsatellite was lower than expected from the comparison with autosomal microsatellites and mtDNA, and it was mostly due to genetic variance among populations within valleys, while the opposite was observed on other markers. In addition, there was no pattern of isolation-by-distance for the Y, while there was strong isolation-by-distance on mtDNA and autosomes. We use a hierarchical island model of coancestry dynamics to discuss the relative roles of the micro-evolutionary forces that may induce such patterns. We conclude that sex-biased dispersal is the most important driver of the observed genetic structure, but with an intriguing twist: it seems that dispersal is strongly male-biased at large spatial scale, while it is mildly biased in favour of females at local scale. These results add to recent reports of scale-specific sex-biased dispersal patterns, and emphasize the usefulness of the Y chromosome in conjunction with mtDNA and autosomes to infer sex-specificities.

我们以具有层级分布特征的山地栖息物种瓦莱鼩鼱（Sorex antinorii）为研究对象，探究了塑造其Y染色体（Y chromosome）、常染色体（autosomes）与线粒体DNA（mitochondrial DNA, mtDNA）群体遗传结构模式的进化过程中的性别特异性。分层方差分析（hierarchical analyses of variance）与距离隔离（isolation-by-distance）分析均显示，母体遗传、父体遗传及双亲遗传标记所对应的群体遗传结构模式并不一致。Y染色体微卫星（microsatellite）的分化程度低于常染色体微卫星与线粒体DNA对照分析的预期值，且其分化主要源于山谷内种群间的遗传变异，而其余标记则呈现相反的分布规律。此外，Y染色体未表现出距离隔离模式，而线粒体DNA与常染色体则呈现显著的距离隔离效应。本研究采用共祖动态层级岛屿模型（hierarchical island model of coancestry dynamics），探讨了可能诱导此类遗传结构的微观进化力量（micro-evolutionary forces）的相对贡献。研究结论表明，性别偏向性扩散（sex-biased dispersal）是观测到的遗传结构的核心驱动因素，但存在一处有趣的矛盾：在大空间尺度上，扩散呈现强烈的雄性偏向，而在局域尺度上则表现为轻微的雌性偏向。本研究结果补充了近期关于尺度依赖型性别偏向性扩散模式的相关报道，并强调了联合使用Y染色体、线粒体DNA与常染色体以推断性别特异性的应用价值。