Publication Date
Summer 2011
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biological Sciences
Advisor
John O. Matson
Keywords
mitochondrial DNA, morphology, Peromyscus maniculatus, population genetics, western North America
Subject Areas
Biology; Genetics; Morphology
Abstract
A previously recognized north-south mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) break in populations of deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus, was investigated in Western North America. A 383-bp fragment of the mtDNA control region was analyzed from 107 tissue samples in the unstudied Warner Mountains of northeastern California. To determine if this north-south mtDNA break was also reflected in morphology, six cranial and mandibular measurements were taken from 72 deer mice. Using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), it was determined that cranial characters did not vary significantly between the two mtDNA haplogroups, and discriminant function analysis (DFA) was unable to discriminate between the two haplogroups. Neutrality statistics and mismatch distribution analyses were performed on both mitochondrial haplotypes to test for recent demographic expansion. The analyses suggest that during Pleistocene glaciations, P. maniculatus persisted south of the glacial leading edge and in Pacific Northwest refugia. Upon retreat of the glaciers, refugial mice expanded from their glacial refuges, while populations south of the glaciers remained fairly stable.
Recommended Citation
Wade, Allison Linnea, "Patterns of Genetic and Morphological Variation in Deer Mice (Peromyscus Maniculatus) in the Warner Mountains" (2011). Master's Theses. 4079.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.jupd-3xkp
https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/4079
