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Akodon montensis is widely distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest (AF) hotspot biodiversity, encompassing Brazil and reaching its southern limit in eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. Here, we combined analysis of molecular data and ecological niche modelling to contribute to elucidating its evolutionary history. At a local scale, we studied the genetic variability in microsatellite loci in populations from the remaining AF in Misiones province, Argentina. The moderate genetic differentiation observed in some populations suggests that limited gene flow may result from habitat fragmentation at the south of the AF. At a wide geographic range, the ecological niche modelling identified areas of high environmental suitability for A. montensis during the last glacial maximum (LGM) on the coast of Brazil, where the forested habitats expanded onto the continental shelf. This could explain the high diversity in the cytochrome b in this region and contiguous areas, agreeing with the Atlantis Forest hypothesis. Additionally, we observed an extended area of high habitat suitability during the LGM and at present in southwestern Brazil, eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. The evolutionary history of A. montensis seems to have been influenced by demographic processes that occurred at different times and regions, shaping its genetic variability and structure.
Labaroni et al. (Sat,) studied this question.