Differentiation and communication in Yarkand hare

Although Yarkand hare is endemic to oasis and desert areas around the Tarim Basin in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, northwestern China, the genome-wide genetic information remains limited. Moreover, the genetic variation, genetic structure and phylogenetic relationship of this species from plateau mountain regions have not been reported. The specific-length amplified fragment sequencing technology was used for the first time to evaluate the genetic diversity of 76 Yarkand hares from seven geographic populations in northern and southwestern parts of the Tarim Basin, aiming to investigate single-nucleotide polymorphism marker-based population differentiation and evolutionary processes. Selective sweep analysis was conducted to identify genetic differences between populations.