Kartavtseva I.V., Gornikov D.V., Pavlenko M.V.
В журнале Biology Bulletin
Год: 2023 Том: 50 Номер: 8 Страницы: 2119–2130
The large Japanese field mouse (Apodemus speciosus) is endemic to the Japanese islands and Kunashir Island in Russia. Variability in the morphology of 722 molars was studied for the first time for the population of this species from Kunashir Island, which allowed us to identify seven new traits for the species. According to data obtained when studying modern and paleontological material (recent, Holocene, Late Pleistocene, Middle Pleistocene), mice of Kunashir Island lack some traits of molars previously described for the large Japanese field mouse from Honshu Island; at the same time, stabilization of the morphology was noted for the remaining traits. Varying frequency was demonstrated for the new traits. This can be caused either by the small number of founders or the passage of the Kunashir population through sharp declines in numbers. It is possible that a change in the frequency of some molar phenes in different historical epochs could be associated with the transition of mice to another type of feed following changes in the climate and the prevailing vegetation.
