Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Genetic differentiation and relationship of the dipodidsAllactaga andJaculus (Mammalia, Rodentia) in Egypt based on protein variation

  • Published:
Acta Theriologica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Genetic differentiation among 14 populations representing all Egyptian dipodid (jerboa) species and subspecies was examined at 25 structural loci and interspecific relationships are discussed. Of the 25 loci, only 3 were monomorphic, with the same allele fixed in all taxa, 9 loci were monomorphic, but demonstrated intertaxon variation, and only 13 loci were polymorphic. The overall mean number of alleles per locus (A) was 1.23 ± 0.02 and the average percentage of polymorphic loci per taxon (P) was 23%. The overall mean of observed heterozygosity (H o) was found significantly higher than that of expected heterozygosity (He); the overall means per taxon were 0.25 ± 0.017 and 0.085 ± 0.007. Mean levels of genetic identity (I) were 0.970 ± 0.003 among geographic populations, 0.718 ± 0.022 between subspecies, 0.590 ± 0.030 between congeneric species, and 0.368 ± 0.020 between genera. Phenetic analysis of genetic distance matrix produced a phenogram indicating a close association ofJaculus orientalis Erxleben, 1777 toJaculus jaculus (Linnaeus, 1758), particularly to its subspeciesJaculus jaculus butleri (Thomas, 1922), and indicating a distinct affinity between these latter two species andAllactaga tetradactyla (Lichtenstein, 1823). Estimates of genetic divergence demonstrated that J. orientalis appears to have shared a more recent common ancestor withJ. jaculus thanA. tetradactyla. Divergence of these species would have occurred by Miocene (ca 9.6 to 18.7 million years ago). The pattern of relationships of the dipodid species indicated in this study was closely consistent with the hypotheses derived from morphological and chromosomal data.

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

  • Allendorf F. W. and Utter F. M. 1978. Population genetics of fish. [In: Fish physiology. W. S. Hoar and D. J. Randall, eds]. Academic Press, New York: 407–454.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ata A. M. and Shahin A. B. 1999. Variation of G-bands in the chromosomes ofAllactaga tetradactyla, Jaculus jaculus jaculus andJaculus orientalis (Rodentia: Dipodidae) common in Egypt. Journal of Union of Arab Biologists 11: 295–309.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ata A. M., Shahin A. A. B. and Allam H. Z. 2001. A comparative analysis of the rate of meiosis, chiasma frequency and terminalization in the jerboasAllactaga andJaculus (Rodentia: Dipodidae) in Egypt. Folia Biologica (Kraków) 49: 129–135.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Avise J. C. 1974. Systematic value of electrophoretic data. Systematic Zoology 23: 465–481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avise J. C. and Smith M. H. 1977. Gene frequency comparisons between sunfish (Centrarchidae) populations at various stages of evolutionary divergence. Systematic Zoology 26: 319–335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ayala F. J. 1975. Genetic differentiation during the speciation process. [In: Evolutionary biology. T. Dobzhansky, M. K. Hecht and W. C. Steere, eds]. Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York 8: 1–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayala F. J. and Valentine J. W. 1974. Genetic variability in the cosmopolitan deep-water Ophiuran,Ophiomusium lymani. Marine Biology 27: 51–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Sousa G. B., De Rosa N. and Gardenal C. N. 1996. Protein polymorphism inEligmodontia typus. Genetic divergence with other phyllotine cricetids. Genetica 97: 47–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellerman J. R. 1948. Rodents of southwest Asia. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 118: 765–816.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardenal C. N., Garcia B. A., Sabattini M. S. and Blanco A. 1990. Protein polymorphism and genetic distance in South American cricetid rodents of the genusCalomys. Genetica 80: 175–180.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gorman G. C., Kim Y. J. and Taylor C. H. E. 1977. Genetic variation in irradiated and control populations ofCnemidophorus tigris (Sauria, Teiidae) from Mercury, Nevada with a discussion of genetic variability in lizards. Theoretical Applied Genetics 49: 9–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maurer R. 1968. Disk-electrophorese. De Gruyter, W. and Co., Berlin: 1–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nei M. 1972. Genetic distance between populations. The American Naturalist 106: 283–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nei M. and Chesser R. K. 1983. Estimation of fixation indices and gene diversities. Annals of Human Genetics, London 47: 253–259.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nevo E. 1978 Genetic variation in natural populations: patterns and theory. Theoretical Population Biology 13: 121–177.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nevo E., Beiles A. and Ben-Shlomo R. 1984. The evolutionary significance of diversity: Ecology, demographic and life history correlates. [In: Evolutionary dynamics of genetic diversity. G. S. Mani, eds]. Lecture Note in Biomathematics 53: 13–213.

  • Nevo E., Kim Y. J., Shaw C. R. and Thaeler C. S. J. R. 1974. Genetic variation, selection and speciation inThomomys talpoides pocket gophers. Evolution 28(1): 1–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nowak R. M. 1991. Walker’s mammals of the world. 5th ed. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London: 1–1629.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osborn D. J. and Helmy I. 1980. The contemporary land mammals of Egypt (including Sinai). Fieldiana Zoology 5: 1–579.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pasteur G., Pasteur N. and Orsini J. P. 1978. On genetic variability in a population of the widespread geckoHemidactylus brooki. Experimentia 24: 1557–1558.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pocock R. I. 1922. The external characters ofScarturus and other jerboas compared with those ofZapus andPedetes. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London: 659–682.

  • Selander R. K. and Johnson W. E. 1973. Genetic variation among vertebrate species. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 4: 75–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shahin A. A. B. 1993. Protein variation and taxonomy in some genera of family Scincidae (Reptilia) in Egypt. PhD thesis, University of El Minia, El Minia: 1–208.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shahin A. A. B. 1999. A comparative study of the molar and soft palate characters of the generaAllactaga andJaculus (Mammalia: Rodentia) in Egypt. Zoology in the Middle East 18: 17–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shahin A. A. B. and Ata A. M. 2001. A comparative study on the karyotype and meiosis of the jerboasAllactaga andJaculus (Rodentia: Dipodidae) in Egypt. Zoology in the Middle East 22: 5–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shahin A. A. B. and Ibraheem M. H. 1998. Sperm morphology of the dipodid rodents (Jerboas) common in Egypt. Belgian Journal of Zoology 128: 189–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpson G. G. 1945. The principles of classification and a classification of mammals. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 85: 1–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sneath P. H. A. and Sokal R. 1973. Numerical taxonomy. W. H. Freeman Co, San Francisco: 1–573.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stegemann H. 1977. Elektrophorese und Fokussieren in Platten. Rundschreiben, Institut für Biochemie und Biologische Bundesanstalt Braunschweig, Germany: 1–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swofford D. L. and Selander R. K. 1981. BIOSYS-1: a FORTRAN program for the comprehensive analysis of electrophoretic data in population genetics and systematics. Journal of Heredity 72: 281–287.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vinogradov B. 1930. On the classification of the Dipodidae (cranial and dental characters). Bulletin of the Academy of Science of the USSR 1930: 331–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wassif K. 1960. Studies on the osteology of Egyptian jerboas. Bulletin of the Zoological Society of Egypt 15: 71–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Workman P. L. and Niswander J. D. 1970. Population studies on southwestern Indian tribes. II. Local genetic differentiation in the Papago. American Journal of Human Genetics 22: 24–49.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wright S. 1978. Evolution and the genetics of populations. Variability within and among populations. University of Chicago Press, Chicago 4: 1–580.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Minia University, 61519-El, Minia, Egypt

    Adel A. Basyouny Shahin

Authors
  1. Adel A. Basyouny Shahin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Adel A. Basyouny Shahin.

Additional information

Editor was Zdzislaw Pucek.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shahin, A.A.B. Genetic differentiation and relationship of the dipodidsAllactaga andJaculus (Mammalia, Rodentia) in Egypt based on protein variation. Acta Theriol 48, 309–324 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03194171

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03194171

Key words

Search

Navigation