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B chromosomes and cranial variability in yellow-necked field mice (Apodemus flavicollis)
- Source :
- Journal of Mammalogy
- Publication Year :
- 2011
- Publisher :
- Oxford University Press (OUP), 2011.
-
Abstract
- B chromosomes (Bs) are supernumerary chromosomes relative to the standard karyotype. The maintenance of Bs in the yellow-necked field mice (Apodemus flavicollis) was reconsidered by examining their effects on 3 components of cranial variability: canalization, developmental stability, and morphological integration. Bs do not disturb developmental homeostasis in their carriers. Moreover, Bs play a significant role in structuring cranial variation. We suggest that direct interactions between developmental pathways in mice without Bs might be a dominant mechanism for generating covariation of cranial traits, and integration of cranial traits in B carriers could be generated primarily by parallel variation of separate developmental pathways. Integration due to parallel variation is more predisposed to modifications by natural selection than integration caused by direct interactions, which could be beneficial to B carriers under variable environmental conditions. By contributing to the genetic variability of species possessing them, Bs provide themselves with long-term presence in populations. Therefore, the Bs of A. flavicollis should be considered as symbiotic genomic elements. Ministry of Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia [173003] Journal of Mammalogy (2011), 92(2): 396-406
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Modularity
Zoology
Developmental stability
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
Fluctuating asymmetry
03 medical and health sciences
Genetics
Morphological integration
Genetic variability
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
030304 developmental biology
Nature and Landscape Conservation
Geometric morphometrics
0303 health sciences
B chromosome
Natural selection
B chromosomes
Ecology
biology
Chromosome
Karyotype
Canalization
biology.organism_classification
Evolutionary biology
Apodemus flavicollis
Apodemus
Animal Science and Zoology
Cranium
Yellow-necked field mouse
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15451542 and 00222372
- Volume :
- 92
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Mammalogy
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....4d43f3518eacee647d3ca8c0c6799664