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Lifespans of Fur Color Morphs in Polymorphic Populations of the Mole Vole and the Hypothesis of Adaptive Polymorphism

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Abstract

Different lifespans were for the first time demonstrated for three (brown, bicolor, and black) fur color morphs in ten mole vole populations of the Volga, Ural, and Trans-Ural regions. With the longest lifespan of 5 years in the species, morphs that numerically dominate in a population can live 1–4 years longer than accompanying morphs. Spearman’s correlation coefficient between the longest lifespan of the morphs and their proportion in the population was Rsp = 0.81 (p < 0.0001). A number of morphological and functional features were identified in the color morphs. The findings are of general biological significance, confirming the hypothesis of adaptive polymorphism. Evolutionary and ecological mechanisms whereby selective advantages develop in morphs (as probable ecomorphs) are possible to evaluate using the morphs as a natural model of the initial step of sympatric form development in different parts of the range.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to Cand. Sci. (Biol) N.G. Evdokimov for material provided.

Funding

This work was supported by a state contract with the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology (project no. 122021000091-2).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia

    A. G. Vasil’ev,  V. N. Bol’shakov, I. A. Vasil’eva & N. V. Sineva

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  1. A. G. Vasil’ev
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  2. V. N. Bol’shakov
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  3. I. A. Vasil’eva
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  4. N. V. Sineva
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Correspondence to A. G. Vasil’ev.

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Conflict of interests. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

This article does not contain any experimental studies involving animals or human subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Translated by T. Tkacheva

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Vasil’ev, A.G., Bol’shakov, V.N., Vasil’eva, I.A. et al. Lifespans of Fur Color Morphs in Polymorphic Populations of the Mole Vole and the Hypothesis of Adaptive Polymorphism. Dokl Biol Sci 510, 163–166 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0012496623700345

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0012496623700345

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