Nevo E, Filippucci M G, Beiles A
Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Israel.
Prog Clin Biol Res. 1990;335:347-66.
We have reanalyzed the levels of observed heterozygosity based on old and new material of small mammals in attempt to retest the environmental theory of genetic diversity or the niche-width variation hypothesis. This study involves old and new material of 184 small mammalian species both insectivores and rodents; 111 living aboveground and 73 species living partly (fossorial, N = 28) or totally (subterranean, N = 45) underground. The results indicated that (i) in general, insectivores harbor significantly lower levels of heterozygosity than rodents, and (ii) both overall, and in insectivores and rodents separately, the narrow-niche fossorial and subterranean species displayed significantly lower levels of observed heterozygosity than small mammalian species living aboveground. This is true in almost all parametric and nonparametric analyses. Subterranean and fossorial small mammals are more homozygous in protein diversity, primarily isozymes, compared with aboveground species. This pattern corroborates the environmental theory or niche-width variation hypothesis of genetic diversity.
我们基于小型哺乳动物的新旧材料重新分析了观察到的杂合度水平，试图重新检验遗传多样性的环境理论或生态位宽度变异假说。本研究涉及184种小型哺乳动物（包括食虫动物和啮齿动物）的新旧材料；其中111种生活在地面以上，73种部分（穴居，N = 28）或完全（地下，N = 45）生活在地下。结果表明：（i）一般而言，食虫动物的杂合度水平显著低于啮齿动物；（ii）总体而言，以及分别在食虫动物和啮齿动物中，生态位狭窄的穴居和地下物种的观察到的杂合度水平显著低于生活在地面以上的小型哺乳动物物种。几乎所有参数分析和非参数分析均是如此。与地面物种相比，地下和穴居小型哺乳动物在蛋白质多样性（主要是同工酶）方面更纯合。这种模式证实了遗传多样性的环境理论或生态位宽度变异假说。
