Data from: Ecogeographical patterns of morphological variation in pygmy shrews Sorex minutus (Soricomorpha: Soricinae) within a phylogeographic and continental-and-island framework

Ecogeographical patterns of morphological variation were studied in the Eurasian pygmy shrew Sorex minutus aiming to understand the species’ morphological diversity in a continental and island setting, and within the context of previous detailed phylogeographical studies. In total, 568 mandibles and 377 skulls of S. minutus from continental and island populations from Europe and Atlantic islands were examined using a geometric morphometrics approach, and the general relationships of mandible and skull size and shape with geographical and environmental variables were studied. Samples were then pooled into predefined geographical groups to evaluate the morphological differences among them using analyses of variance, aiming to contrast the morphological and genetic relationships based on morphological and genetic distances and ancestral state reconstructions, as well as assess the correlations of morphological, genetic, and geographical distances with Mantel tests. We found significant relationships of mandible size with geographical and environmental variables, fitting the converse Bergmann's rule; however, for skull size, this was less evident. Continental groups of S. minutus could not readily be differentiated from each other by shape. Most island groups of S. minutus were easily discriminated from the continental groups by being larger, indicative of an island effect. Moreover, morphological and genetic distances differed substantially and, again, island groups were distinctive morphologically. Morphological and geographical distances were significantly correlated, although this was not the case for morphological and genetic distances, indicating that morphological variation does not reflect genetic subdivision in S. minutus. Our analyses showed that environmental variables and insularity had important effects on the morphological differentiation of S. minutus.本研究以欧亚普通鼩鼱（Eurasian pygmy shrew，*Sorex minutus*）为研究对象，旨在解析该物种在大陆与岛屿生境中的形态多样性，并结合既往详尽的系统地理学研究背景开展相关探究。本研究共对采自欧洲大陆及大西洋岛屿各类群的*Sorex minutus*标本进行检测，共计下颌骨568枚、头骨377个，采用几何形态测量学（geometric morphometrics）方法开展分析，并探究了下颌骨与头骨的大小、形态与地理及环境变量间的普遍关联。随后将样本按预设地理群组进行合并，采用方差分析（analysis of variance）评估各组间的形态差异；旨在基于形态与遗传距离及祖先状态重建（ancestral state reconstructions）对比形态与遗传间的关联，并通过曼特尔检验（Mantel tests）分析形态、遗传与地理距离三者间的相关性。研究结果显示，下颌骨大小与地理及环境变量间存在显著关联，符合反向伯格曼法则（converse Bergmann's rule）；但头骨大小的此类关联则并不显著。欧亚普通鼩鼱的大陆类群间难以通过形态特征相互区分；多数岛屿类群因体型更大，可与大陆类群显著区分，这一现象符合岛屿效应（island effect）。此外，形态距离与遗传距离存在显著差异，且岛屿类群在形态上同样具有独特性。形态距离与地理距离呈显著相关，但形态距离与遗传距离并无此类关联，这表明欧亚普通鼩鼱的形态变异并未反映其遗传分化。本研究分析结果表明，环境变量与岛屿化特征对欧亚普通鼩鼱的形态分化具有重要影响。