Does the Colonizing Population Exhibit a Reduced Genetic Diversity and Allele Surfing? A Case Study of the Midday Gerbil ( Pallas) Expanding Its Range.

Colonizing populations at the leading edge of range expansion are expected to have a reduced genetic diversity and strong genetic structure caused by genetic drift and allele surfing. Until now, few studies have found the genetic signatures of allele surfing in expanding wild populations. Using mtDNA markers, we studied the genetic structure of the population of midday gerbils () expanding their range to the west in Kalmykia (southern Russia) following the new cycle of desertification, re-colonizing areas abandoned in the mid-2010s.