Conservation units and historical matrilineal structure in the tequila bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae)

The tequila bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) has been the focus of intense research over the last 20 years. Its close relationship to economically important plants used in the production of tequila and mezcal has raised awareness of its importance as both a keystone mutualist and a mobile link between habitats. The study of its migratory habits has shed light on patterns of movement and routes that animals follow, and how these movements affect the genetic composition of its populations. Delimiting the boundaries of breeding populations is of great importance for conservation, however, determining these boundaries has been difficult for L yerbabuenae. Understanding the demographic history of the species could provide additional insight into current differences of its migratory behaviour and reproductive asynchrony. Here, we report evidence of historical matrilineal structure by comparing partial sequences of mtDNA cytochrome b (bp 306) and Control Region (497 bp) and inferred patterns of differentiation across the distribution of L yerbabuenae in Mexico. Our population-based statistical analysis suggests panmixia among colonies with low genetic differentiation between north-western and south-eastern colonies. Neutrality tests of the Control Region indicate the presence of two divergent mitochondrial lineages in the south-east and the north-west of Mexico. Our results corroborate recent population expansion events, possibly due to the influence of physical barriers to migration and historical population demography. We recognize one single population but two Conservation Units (CUs) based on differences in reproductive phenology, migratory behaviour and the evidence of two matrilineal lineages as found in this study. We recommend the use of large-scale genomic datasets to better delimit fine-scale population structure in the future. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.