Low Genetic Variability of the Tundra Vole in Lithuania

The distribution and spread of the tundra vole () in Lithuania have been documented over the last 70 years, but the genetic diversity of the species has not been studied. In this study, we examined trapped in three sites in northern and western Lithuania using mtDNA sequence analysis of the and control region. The western and northern sites are separated by anthropogenic landscape barriers. The western site is subject to regular spring flooding. Phylogenetic analyses of the studied individuals placed them in the Central European phylogroup, suggesting that Lithuanian originated from northeastern Poland. In Lithuania, the genetic diversity of at both mtDNA loci was relatively low ( < 0.6, π < 0.002) compared to that found in other European samples ( = 0.833-0.958; π = 0.00402-0.01552). Individuals analyzed in Lithuania were genetically different from samples collected in Poland and Northern Europe (Φ > 0.15, < 0.05). The genetic divergence between the western and northern samples of in Lithuania, together with the low genetic variability among the voles studied, provides new insights into the phylogeography of the species and the influence of barriers on the colonization of the country.