Patterns of evolution and migration in the arctic ground squirrel, Spermophilus parryii (Richardson)

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Zoology
• Main Authors: Nadler, Charles F., Hoffmann, Robert S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1977
• Subjects: Animal Science and Zoology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Arctic ground squirrel; Arctic; Subarctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z77-097; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z77-097

Serum transferrins and 11 other genetically controlled proteins representing 17 loci were examined by starch-gel electrophoresis from Siberian, Alaskan, and Canadian populations of Spermophilus parryii. Six transferrin alleles were identified. Arctic populations (S. p. parryii, S. p. osgoodi) were characterized by Tf 6 occurring alone or together with Tf 7 whereas middle and subarctic populations exhibited Tf 7 occurring either alone (S. p. ablusus, S. p. lyratus, S. p. plesius) or together with Tf 5 (S. p. plesius). Tf 8, Tf 9, and Tf 19 constituted local variants. Tf 6 displayed a clinal distribution, increasing in frequency eastward and paralleling a clinal increase in body size. Three PGM 2 alleles were observed, the frequencies of which tend to differentiate arctic S. p. parryii from subarctic S. p. ablusus. G6PD-b occurred uniformly in North America and in one Siberian population; a second population (two specimens) exhibited G6PD-a, thereby suggesting that G6PD polymorphism may be present in Siberian S. parryii. The other nine proteins were monomorphic in all Holarctic populations.