Genic Relationships in the White-Footed Mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, and the Cotton Mouse, Peromyscus Gossypinus

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Genic variation was examined at 14 loci in P. leucopus and P. gossypinus using starch and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. P. leucopus and/or P. gossypinus were obtained from Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Oklahoma [USA]. P. leucopus exhibited polymorphism at 9 loci, while P. gossypinus was polymorphic at 3. In P. leucopus, single individuals in one population (13 = Lauderdale Co [county], Tennessee) expressed rare alleles at MDH-1 [malate dehydrogenase] and MDH-2. Average individual heterozygosity (.hivin.H) was low in both species whether examining only slow evolving loci (mean = 2.7% in P. leucopus and 0.7% in P. gossypinus) or both slow and fast evolving loci (mean = 4.3% in P. leucopus and 2.9% in P. gossypinus). .hivin.H was variable over the study area with no apparent geographic trend in variability. Based on Rogers'' similarity coefficients, P. gossypinus populations were distinct from P. leucopus with the distinction greater when fast evolving loci were included. No evidence of overall geographic trends existed in either species between genic similarity or amount of polymorphism and sympatry or allopatry.