Chromosomal rearrangements and variability of DNA in speciation of grey voles from the Northeast of Asia (Rodentia, Cricetidae, Microtinae)

Kartavtseva I.V., Sheremetyeva I. N.

В издании VI th European Congress of Mammalogy

Год: 2011 Страницы: 3

The vole Microtus maximowiczii Schrenk, 1858 is a widely-distributed in the East Asia species inhabiting humid biotopes of the forest zone. Analysis of the chromosomal characteristics of Maximowicz's vole from Transbaikalia, Russian Far East and Mongolia, including novel data from 12 local populations, enabled s to supplement information on the chromosomal polymorphism of this species (2n=36-44; NF=52-62). We reveal that populations are fixed for various chromosomal rearrangements (fusion/fission) and inversions in the three geographical regions. The revision of the chromosomal characteristics allows us to describe six chromosomal forms in the area investigated (Kartavtseva et al., 2008), one of which belongs to M. gromovi (Sheremetyeva et al., 2009). Subspecies M. m. ungurensis includes at least 4 chromosomal forms Transbaikalia and Mongolia, designated as “A”, “B” “V” and “D”, while M. m. maximowiczii includes only the “C” chromosomal form that was observed in the Amur region. Each chromosomal forms has its own set of rearrangements. The vole, M. maximowiczii is evolutionary closely related with two species, M. evoronensis and M. mujanensis as supported by chromosomal characters and mtDNA. The relationships between the two species and the chromosomal forms of M. maximowiczii as determined by published allozyme and molecular data are discussed.