Inferring divergence times within pikas (Ochotona spp.) using mtDNA and relaxed molecular dating techniques

Although several studies have recently addressed phylogenetic relationships among Asian pikas (Ochotona spp.), the North American species have been relatively neglected and their monophyly generally unquestioned or assumed. Given the high degree of intraspecific diversity in pelage and call structure, the recent identification of previously unrecognized species of pika in Asia, and the increasing evidence for multiple trans-Beringian dispersals in several small mammal lineages, the monophyly of North American pikas warrants reexamination. In addition, previous studies have applied an externally calibrated rate to examine the timing of diversification within the genus. This method has been increasingly shown to return results that, at the very least, are overly narrow in their confidence intervals, and at the worst can be entirely spurious. For this study we combined GenBank sequences from the mitochondrial genes cyt b and ND4 with newly generated sequence data from O. hyperborea and O. collaris to investigate the origin of the North American lineages and the timing of phylogenetic diversification within the genus Ochotona. Specifically, we address three goals (1) summarize and reanalyze the molecular evidence for relationships within the genus using statistically supported models of evolution; (2) add additional sequences from O. collaris and O. hyperborea to rigorously test the monophyly of North American pikas; (3) examine the timing of the diversification within the genus using relaxed molecular clock methods. We found no evidence of multiple trans-Beringian dispersals into North America, thereby supporting the traditional hypothesis of a single invasion of North America. We also provide evidence that the major splits within the genus occurred in the Miocene, and the Nearctic pikas diverged sometime before the Pleistocene.