Aligned and curated mtDNA sequences from: Ancient DNA reveals interstadials as a driver of common vole population dynamics during the last glacial period

Aim: Many species experienced population turnover and local extinction
during the Late Pleistocene. In the case of megafauna, it remains
challenging to disentangle climate change and the activities of
Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers as the main cause. In contrast, the impact
of humans on rodent populations is likely to be negligible. This
study investigated which climatic and/or environmental factors affect the
population dynamics of the common vole. This temperate rodent is
widespread across Europe and was one of the most abundant small mammal
species throughout the Late Pleistocene. Location: Europe Taxon: Common
vole (Microtus arvalis) Methods: We generated a dataset comprised of a
4.2-kb-long fragment of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 148 ancient and 51
modern specimens sampled from multiple localities across Europe and
covering the last 60 thousand years (ka). We used Bayesian inference to
reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships and to estimate the age of
the specimens that were not directly dated. Results: We estimated the time
to the most recent common ancestor of all last glacial and extant common
vole lineages to be 90 ka ago and the divergence of the main mtDNA
lineages present in extant populations to between 55 and 40 ka ago, which
is earlier than previous estimates. We detected several lineage
turnovers in Europe during the period of high climate variability at the
end of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3; 57–29 ka ago) in addition to those
found previously around the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. In
contrast, data from the Western Carpathians suggest continuity throughout
the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), even at high latitudes. Main conclusions:
The main factor affecting the common vole populations during the last
glacial period was the decrease in open habitat during the interstadials,
whereas climate deterioration during the LGM
had little impact on population dynamics. This suggests that the rapid
environmental change rather than other factors was the major force shaping
the histories of the Late Pleistocene faunas.