Abstract
The purpose of this project was to investigate the taxonomic relationship and the biology of Peromyscus eremicus, and the Peromyscus guardia group of mice from islands in the Gulf of California.
Hybridization experiments were conducted between P. eremicus and P. interparietalis ryckmani. They were interfertile and produced fertile hybrids. Peromyscus guardia did not breed in the laboratory.
Body and skull measurements for P. eremicus, P. interparietalis ryckmani, and their F 1 hybrids were analyzed by computing the discriminant functions and plotting a canonical scattergram. Peromyscus interparietalis ryckmani is quite distinct from P. eremicus. The hybrids were larger than either parent and resembled their maternal progenitor more than their paternal progenitor.
Blood proteins of P. eremicus, P. interparietalis, and P. guardia were compared by serum electrophoresis, and from the protein patterns the discriminant functions were computed and a canonical scattergram plotted. Peromyscus interparietalis is similar to P. eremicus, and P. guardia is quite different from both of them. Within a species, the subspecies showed similar patterns. Serum proteins appear to be a useful taxonomic character.
The pattern of growth and development is similar in P. eremicus and P. interparietalis with a few consistent differences.
| Original language | American English |
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| Qualification | Ph.D. |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisors/Advisors |
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| State | Published - Jun 1 1966 |
Disciplines
- Biology