[Voles (Microtus Schrank, 1798) of the Russian Far East: allozymic and karyological divergence].

The intraspecific and interspecific differentiations of voles of the Russian Far East with respect to allozymic and karyotypic characteristics have been studied. The morphologically similar but karyotypically different species Microtus oeconomus, M. fortis, M. maximowiczii, and M. sachaliensis are characterized by considerable allozymic differentiation. In these voles, the allozymic differentiation has been found to increase in the order adjacent populations-subspecies-species. The interspecific allozymic differentiation of the chromosomally polymorphic M. maximowiczii-M. evoronensis-M. mujanensis does not exceed the intraspecific differences in M. oeconomus, M. fortis, and M. maximowiczii. The results are analyzed in terms of the allopatric and stasipatric models of speciation. The taxonomic status of M. maximowiczii gromovi is considered.

[Genetic diversity of the house mouse Mus musculus and geographic distribution of its subspecies-specific RAPD markers on the territory of Russia].

Genetic diversity and geographic distribution of taxon-specific RAPD markers was examined in ten local populations of the house mouse Mus musculus (n = 42). The house mice were generally characterized by moderate genetic variation: polymorphism P99 = 60%, P95 = 32.57%; heterozygosity H = 0.12; the observed allele number n(a) = 1.6; the effective allele number n(e) = 1.18; the within-population differentiation Theta = 0.388; and Shannon index I = 0.19. The degree of genetic isolation of individual local populations was greatly variable. The genetic subdivision index G(st) varied from 0.162 to 0.770 at the gene flow of Nm = 2.58-0.149, while the among-population distances D(N) varied from 0.026 to 0.178. of the largest part of the genetic diversity was found among the populations (H(T) = 0.125), while the within-population diversity was twice lower (H(S) = 0.06). The samples examined were well discriminated relative to the sets of RAPD markers. The character distribution pattern provided conditional subdivision of the mice into the "western" and the "eastern" groups with the putative boarder along the Baikal Lake. The first group was characterized by the prevalence of the markers typical of M. m. musculus and M. m. domesticus. The second group was characterized by the prevalence of the markers typical of M. m. musculus, M. m. gansuensis, M. m. castaneus, M. m. domesticus, and m. m. wagneri. The genotype of the nominative subspecies M. m. musculus was background for all populations. In the populations examined some of earlier described subspecies-specific molecular markers were found at different frequencies, pointing to the involvement of several subspecies of M. musculus in the process of hybridization.

[Genetic differentiation of house mice in the south of the Soviet Far East]. / Geneticheskaia differentsiatsiia domovykh myshei iuga Dal'nego Vostoka SSSR.

Electrophoretic analysis of 24 loci specifying a number of enzymatic and non-enzymatic proteins was carried out in populations of Primorye house mice. No variability in Ldh-B, Ldh of testis, fumarase, alpha-Gpd, Aat-2, Sod-2, Gp-1, GP-3 was found. Distribution of the same main variant in all samples is represented by Sdh, Mor-1, Mor-2, Ldh-A, GP-2, Est-D, Gpd-x, Pgl, Ldr and alb. The second variant of these loci was found in one or two animals. Two and more variants encountered with significant frequency were detected for Id-1, Hbb, Aat-1, Est-1, Est-2, Mod-2. Hybrid origin of the Primorye house mouse is assumed. Genogeography of Id-1, Hbb, Aat-1 and Est-1 points to involvement of the Mus-2C castaneus form in development of their gene pool, the effect of Mus-2A musculus being not excluded. Genogeography of Sod-1 confirms the involvement of both castaneus and musculus. Intensive mutual penetration of these forms (more than 300 km from north to south) indicates that they did not achieve the level characteristic of musculus and domesticus in the course of their differentiation.