Cranial morphometric and fine scale genetic variability of two adjacentMastomys natalensis (Rodentia: Muridae) populations |
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Authors: | Aude Lalis Michel Baylac Jean François Cosson Rhodes H Makundi Robert S Machang’u Christiane Denys |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium;(2) Department of Integrated Pest Management, Danish Pest Infestation Laboratory, University of Aarhus, Skovbrynet 14, 2800 Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark |
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Abstract: | The objective of this multidisciplinary project was to study the intra-specific morphometric and genetic variability between
two adjacent populations ofMastomys natalensis Smith, 1834 living in different environments. The study of micro-evolutionary processes at work by using geometrical morphometrics
allowed us to define two groups, characterized by different features of the skull shape. Using molecular microsatellites analysis,
we showed that the two populations exchanged high gene flow and could be considered as a single panmictic unit. These results
suggest that this widely-distributed species exhibits a local population-level differentiation in shape variation of skulls,
probably due to different ecological situations. We speculate that the variability in the cranial characteristics (connected
with the feeding ability) could reveal a local adaptation preferentially based on the food availability. We propose an explanation
linking the shape differences to the fitness gain in the exploitation of resources available in the two environments. Since
we suggest a potential differentiation process between populations, we believe that the two groups constitute even better
models to understand the factors involved in the early stages of local adaptations. |
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