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Genetic Variation in a Population of the Plains Woodrat Neotoma micropus (open access)

Genetic Variation in a Population of the Plains Woodrat Neotoma micropus

Neotoma micropus from Jack County, Texas, were studied over a 9-month period. Loci from blood and saliva were used to determine genetic variation within the population. Deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were found at one locus. The average temporal F over all seven loci was 0.040. Genetic structuring was subtle, fluctuated on a seasonal basis, and was due to differential migration or predation on genotypes. Heterozygotes tended to move more than homozygotes, and a greater proportion of heterozygotes were lost from the population during each season. Genetic variation was maintained in the population by immigrant individuals. This differential in dispersal of genotypes fits current models of reorganization within the genome of populations.
Date: August 1988
Creator: Stewart, John E. B. (John Edward Bakos)
System: The UNT Digital Library