Seasonal changes in the genetic diversity of two rodent populations, midday gerbil (Meriones meridianus) and northern three-toed jerboa (Dipus sagitta), detected by ISSR.

摘要

Seasonal changes in genetic diversity of Meriones meridianus and Dipus sagitta populations in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region were monitored using inter-simple sequence repeats. There were 45 discernible DNA fragments isolated from 33 samples of M. meridianus, and 25 from 40 samples of D. sagitta. The differences in gene frequencies are statistically significant for some alleles. Nei's index revealed that the greatest genetic differentiation was distributed within the seasonal groups. Nei's and Shannon's indexes exhibited similar seasonal trends, indicating that the spring group has the highest level of genetic diversity and that genetic diversity changes with the seasons. Correlation analysis found no statistically significant correlation between genetic diversity and population density. The results suggest that the seasonal changes in genetic diversity of the two species depend mainly on reproduction and dispersal.