An Assessment of Haplotype and Nucleotide Diversity in the Southern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina carolinensis)

The control region of mitochondrial DNA in the southern short-tailed shrew (Blarina carolinensis) was examined to further understand haplotype and nucleotide diversity of the species within a chromosomal-polymorphic zone in western Tennessee, as well as, in populations west of the Mississippi River. A congruent 214 base-pair region of 78 aligned sequences was analyzed from populations in western Tennessee, eastern Arkansas, eastern Texas, and eastern Oklahoma. Of the 78 sequences, 54 unique haplotypes were found. High haplotype and nucleotide diversity were reported for each locality and for the area sampled as a whole. Fixation indices also further support the degree of haplotype diversity within and among populations of B. carolinensis. Populations showed moderate genetic divergence; yet, genetic variation within populations was greater than among populations. The study provides new insight into genetic variation within B. carolinensis