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.

塔里木兔（Yarkand Hare）为中国西北新疆维吾尔自治区塔里木盆地周边绿洲与荒漠区域的特有物种，但目前其全基因组水平的遗传信息仍较为匮乏。此外，针对该物种高原山地种群的遗传变异、遗传结构及系统发育关系的相关研究尚未见报道。本研究首次采用特异性长度扩增片段测序技术，对采自塔里木盆地北部与西南部7个地理种群的76只塔里木兔开展遗传多样性评估，旨在探究基于单核苷酸多态性（single-nucleotide polymorphism, SNP）标记的种群分化与演化进程，并通过选择性清除分析解析种群间的遗传差异。