Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Genetic structure of urban population of the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus)

  • Animal Genetics
  • Published:
Russian Journal of Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Over the past half-century, the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus), along with range-wide decline of natural populations, has actively populated the cities. The study of the genetic structure of urban populations of common hamster may shed light on features of the habitation of this species in urban landscapes. This article is focused on the genetic structure of common hamster populations in Simferopol (Crimea), one of the largest known urban populations of this species. On the basis of the analysis of nucleotide sequences of the cytochrome b gene and mtDNA control region, and the allelic composition of ten microsatellite loci of nDNA, we revealed that, despite the fact that some individuals can move throughout the city at considerable distances, the entire population of the city is represented by separate demes confined to different areas. These demes are characterized by a high degree of the genetic isolation and reduced genetic diversity compared to that found for the city as a whole.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Haye, M.J.J., Neumann, K., and Koelewijn, H.P., Strong decline of gene diversity in local population of the highly endangered common hamster (Cricetus cricetus) in the western part of its European range, Conserv. Genet., 2012, vol. 13, pp. 311–322. doi 10.1007/s10592-011-0278-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Neumann, K., Jansman, H., Kayser, A., et al., Multiple bottlenecks in threatened western European populations of the common hamster Cricetus cricetus (L.), Conserv. Genet., 2004, vol. 5, pp. 181–193. doi 10.1023/B:COGE.0000014055.95035cd

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Neumann, K., Michaux, J., Maak, S., et al., Genetic spatial structure of European common hamsters (Cricetus cricetus)—a result of repeated range expansion and demographic bottlenecks, Mol. Ecol., 2005, vol. 14, pp. 1473–1483. doi 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005. 02519x

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Nechay, G., Status of Hamster: Cricetus cricetus, Cricetulus migratorius, Mesocricetus newtoni and Other Hamster Species in Europe, in Nature and Environment Series, Strasbourg: Council of Europe, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Korbut, Z., Rusin, M.Y., and Banaszek, A., The distribution of the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus) in western Ukraine, Zool. Poloniae, 2013, vol. 58, nos. 3–4, pp. 99–112. doi 10.2478/zoop-2013-0008

    Google Scholar 

  6. Franceschini-Zink, C. and Millesi, E., Population development and life expectancy in common hamsters, Biosyst. Ecol. Ser., 2008, vol. 25, pp. 45–59.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Schmelzer, E. and Millesi, E., Surface activity patterns in a population of European hamsters (Cricetus cricetus) in an urban environment, in The Common Hamster in Europe: Ecology, Management, Genetics, Conservation, Reintroduction (Proc. Meet. Int. Hamster Workgroup), Nechay, G., Ed., 2008, pp. 19–22.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Banaszek, A. and Ziomek, J., cricetus L.) population in the city of Lublin, Ann. Univ. Mariae Curie-Sklodowska, Sect. C, 2010, vol. 65, no. 1, pp. 59–66. doi 10.2478/v10067-011-0005-5

  9. Vohralík, V., New records of Cricetus cricetus in the Czech Republic (Rodentia: Cricetidae), Lynx (Praha), 2011, vol. 42, pp. 189–196.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Anády, A., New site of the European hamster (Cricetus cricetus) in the urban environment of Ko ice city (Slovakia), Zool. Ecol., 2013, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 61–65. doi 10.1080/21658005.2013.769772

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Karaseva, E.V., Telitsyna, A.Yu., and Samoilov, B.L., Mlekopitayushchie Moskvy v proshlom i nastoyashchem (Mammals of Moscow in the Past and Present), Moscow: Nauka, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Sidorov, G.N., Kassal, B.Yu., Goncharova, O.V., et al., Teriofauna Omskoi oblasti (promyslovye gryzuny) (Theriofauna of the Omsk Oblast (Fur-Trapping Rodents)), Omsk: Nauka, 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Feoktistova, N.Yu., Surov, A.V., Tovpinetz, N.N., et al., The common hamster as a synurbist: a history of settlement in European cities, Zool. Poloniae, 2013, vol. 58, nos. 3–4, pp. 113–126. doi 10.2478/zoop-2013-0009

    Google Scholar 

  14. Tovpinets, N.N., Evstaf’ev, I.L., and Karaseva, E.V., Inclination to synanthropy of the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus) based on observations in Crimea, in Fauna v antropogennom landshafte (Fauna in Anthropogenic Landscape) (Proc. Teriol. Shkoly, issue 8), Lugansk, 2006, pp. 136–145.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Luniak, M., Synurbization—adaptation of animal wildlife to urban development Proceedings 4th International Urban Wildlife Symposium, Shaw, W.W., Harris, K.L., and Druff, L., Eds., Tucson: Univ. Arizona, 2004, pp. 50–55.

  16. Kajdacsi, B., Costa, F., Hyseni, C., et al., Urban population genetics of slum dwelling rats (Rattus norvegicus) in Salvador, Brazil, Mol. Ecol., 2013, vol. 22, pp. 5056–5070. doi 10.1111/mec.12455

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Chiappero, M.B., Panzetta-Dutari, G.M., Gomez, D., et al., Contrasting genetic structure of urban and rural populations of the wild rodent Calomys musculinus (Cricetidae, Sigmodontinae), Mammal. Biol., 2011, vol. 76, pp. 41–50. doi 10.1016/jmambio.2010.02.003

    Google Scholar 

  18. Munshi-South, J. and Nagy, C., Urban park characteristics, genetic variation, and historical demography of white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) populations in New York City, Peer J., 2014, vol. 2, pp. 310–315. doi 10.7717/peerj.310

    Google Scholar 

  19. Kocher, T.D., Thomas, W.K., Meyer, A., et al., Dynamics of mitochondrial DNA evolution in animals: amplification and sequencing with conserved primers, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 1989, vol. 86, pp. 6196–6200. doi 10.1073/pnas.86.16.6196

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Xie, J. and Zhang, Z., Mitochondrial DNA phylogeography of populations of Cricetulus triton in the North China Plain, J. Mammal., 2005, vol. 84, pp. 833–840. doi 10.1644/09-mamm-a-098r 1.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Montgelard, C., Bentz, S., Tirard, C., et al., Molecular systematics of Sciurognathi (Rodentia): the mitochondrial cytochrome b and 12S rRNA genes support the Anomaluroidea (Pedetidae and Anomaluridae), Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 2002, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 220–233. doi 10.1006/mpev.2001.1056

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Hall, T.A., BioEdit: a user-friendly biological sequence alignment editor and analysis program for Windows 95/98/NT, Nucleic Acids Symp. Ser., 1999, vol. 41, pp. 95–98.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Excoffier, L., Laval, G., and Schneider, S., Arlequin ver. 3.0: an integrated software package for population genetics data analysis, Evol. Bioinform. Online, 2005, vol. 1, pp. 47–50. PMCID: PMC2658868

    CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Rousset, F., Genepop’007: a complete re-implementation of the Genepop software for Windows and Linux, Mol. Ecol. Notes, 2008, vol. 8, pp. 103–106. doi 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2012.01606x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Bandelt, H.-J., Forster, P., Röhl, A., Median-joining networks for inferring intraspecific phylogenies, Mol. Biol. Evol., 1999, vol. 16, pp. 37–48. http://www. fluxus-engineeringcom. doi 10.1093/oxfordjournalsmolbeva026036

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Pritchard, J.K., Stephens, M., and Donnelly, P.J., Inference of population structure using multilocus genotype data, Genetics, 2000, vol. 155, pp. 945–959.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Documentation for structure software: version 2.3. http://pritchardlabstanfordedu/structure_software/release_versions/v2.3.4/structure_docpdf

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russia

    N. Yu. Feoktistova, I. G. Meschersky, A. V. Surov, P. L. Bogomolov, N. N. Tovpinetz & N. S. Poplavskaya

Authors
  1. N. Yu. Feoktistova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. I. G. Meschersky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. V. Surov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. P. L. Bogomolov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. N. N. Tovpinetz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. N. S. Poplavskaya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to N. Yu. Feoktistova.

Additional information

Original Russian Text © N.Yu. Feoktistova, I.G. Meschersky, A.V. Surov, P.L. Bogomolov, N.N. Tovpinetz, N.S. Poplavskaya, 2016, published in Genetika, 2016, Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 221–230.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Feoktistova, N.Y., Meschersky, I.G., Surov, A.V. et al. Genetic structure of urban population of the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus). Russ J Genet 52, 194–203 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1022795416020046

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1022795416020046

Keywords

Search

Navigation