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Sex‐related spatial kin structure in a spring population of grey‐sided voles Clethrionomys rufocanus as revealed by mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA analyses
Author(s) -
Ishibashi Y.,
Saitoh T.,
Abe S.,
Yoshida M. C.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-294x.1997.00152.x
Subject(s) - biology , microsatellite , mitochondrial dna , population , evolutionary biology , vole , zoology , genetic structure , lineage (genetic) , genetics , allele , genetic variation , gene , demography , sociology
Polymerase chain reaction‐directed mitochondria (mt) and microsatellite DNA analyses were performed to examine the kin structure in a spring population of grey‐sided voles Clethrionomys rufocanus in Hokkaido, Japan. The spatial distribution of 81 voles in a trapping grid (about 1 ha) was estimated by using the catch‐mark‐release method. DNA samples were extracted from the toes clipped for individual identification. Maternal lineages of voles were unequivocally determined by the mtDNA haplotypes, as identified by nucleotide sequencing of the control region. Relatedness between individuals was estimated based on the genotype and allele frequencies at several microsatellite loci. Although the distribution of voles was uniform within the grid, neighbouring females were frequently from the same maternal lineage. Relatedness values between females correlated negatively with geographical distances. Combination of the two molecular markers revealed four clusters of closely related, matrilineal females in the population, whereas no such cluster was apparent in males. The present study first demonstrated a sex‐related spatial kin structure in a natural population of the grey‐sided vole.