McGovern Mike, Richard Tracy C
Department of Zoology and Entomology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
Oecologia. 1981 Jan;51(2):276-280. doi: 10.1007/BF00540614.
The allelic frequencies of the plasma enzymes transferrin (Tf) and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) have been shown previously to correlate with population density, population growth rate and mortality in Microtus ochrogaster. Such changes in allozymic frequencies of Tf and LAP have been used by others as evidence supporting the Chitty/Krebs genetic-behavioral hypothesis of population growth. In this study, prairie voles were captured in midwinter and in midsummer, and brought to the lab where their allozymes of Tf and LAP were determined. The voles were then placed in controlled environments approximating some of the conditions of other seasons of the year, and their allozymes were redetermined in subsequent weeks. Changes in allozymes occurred in all experiments. Animals subected to opposite seasons (i.e. captured in winter and subjected to summer conditions, and captured in summer and subjected to winter environments) had the highest percentage of changes in electromorphs. A review of the literature revealed a plethora of evidence that Tf and LAP proteins could change electromorphs on starch gels in response to differences in blood chemistry and presumably to physiological state influenced by diet, reproductive state, and disease. Thus, since it appears that electromorphs of Tf and LAP proteins can change in voles subjected to different environments, and that these proteins may change in electronegativity in response to the physiological state of the animals, observed changes in allelic frequencies in populations of voles may be of limited value as evidence for the proposed genetic-behavioral hypothesis explaining population cycles.
血浆酶转铁蛋白（Tf）和亮氨酸氨肽酶（LAP）的等位基因频率先前已被证明与田鼠的种群密度、种群增长率和死亡率相关。其他人已将Tf和LAP的这些等位酶频率变化用作支持奇蒂/克雷布斯种群增长遗传行为假说的证据。在本研究中，在冬季中期和夏季中期捕获草原田鼠，并将其带回实验室，测定它们的Tf和LAP等位酶。然后将这些田鼠置于接近一年中其他季节某些条件的受控环境中，并在随后几周重新测定它们的等位酶。在所有实验中都发生了等位酶的变化。经历相反季节的动物（即冬季捕获并置于夏季条件下，夏季捕获并置于冬季环境中）的电泳变体变化百分比最高。对文献的回顾揭示了大量证据表明，Tf和LAP蛋白可根据血液化学差异以及可能受饮食、生殖状态和疾病影响的生理状态，在淀粉凝胶上改变电泳变体。因此，由于似乎Tf和LAP蛋白的电泳变体在处于不同环境的田鼠中会发生变化，并且这些蛋白可能会根据动物的生理状态改变电负性，所以观察到的田鼠种群等位基因频率变化作为解释种群周期的拟议遗传行为假说的证据，其价值可能有限。
