Contemporary high latitude diversity may be largely structured due to vicariant events during major glaciations and subsequent species radiations during the Pleistocene. Little is known about how diversity was produced at high latitudes, although recent studies suggest that these regions may have increased rates of both speciation and extinction because of large scale climatic changes. In this study, I focus on the high latitude islands of the North Pacific Coast and track the historical processes responsible for contemporary diversification of multiple species. I characterize the holarctic distribution for Mustela erminea in light of three previously described monophyletic clades. Using a suite of molecular markers, I provide evidence [...]
