Data from: Riverine barriers have little influence on genetic structure of Rattus tanezumi

Rivers may hinder population migration and promote genetic differentiation of terrestrial animals. Most studies testing the riverine barrier hypothesis have yielded positive results, while very few studies do not support this hypothesis. In this study, 384 Asian house rats (Rattus tanezumi) were collected fromYunnan,China. By combined use of the sequence markers of mitochondrial (mtDNA) and nuclear (IRBP), we tested the influence of five local rivers on the population genetics of R. tanezumi. A total of 81 mtDNA haplotypes and 135 IRBP haplotypes were determined, and many of which were shared by two or more of the six geographic regions. AMOVA analyses showed that most variations happened either within populations or among populations, while very few variations (<15%) happened among the six geographic regions formed by the five rivers. SAMOVA analysis classified the mtDNA sequences into three groups, while no genetic differentiation was detected on IRBP. Our results concluded that riverine barriers in the study area have little influence on the genetic structure of R. tanezumi.