Intraspecific variation within Meriones persicus (Rodentia: Gerbillinae) populations in south central of Iran
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22120/jwb.2018.98610.1042Keywords:
geographic variation, MANOVA, morphometric, Persian jirdAbstract
In the present study intraspecific differences of the Meriones persicus populations were investigated based on traditional morphometry using the external and cranial characters in the south central of Iran. Totally 89 specimens of M. persicus were collected in three regions of the area (Geno protected area, Minab county, and Anjerk prohibited hunting area). Five external and 15 cranial characters were measured. In order to represent the significant differences in sizes observed among the three populations, the one-way ANOVA was applied. Our results demonstrated that nine out of 20 measured morphological characters of the populations in the study areas are significantly different (P<0.05). The results of MANOVA showed statistically significant differences among the populations of the three regions based on the morphometric characters (F=15.968, P<0.001; Wilk's Λ = 0.039, partial η2 = 0.802). The principal component analysis (PCA) on the cranial parameters showed that two first components can justify 54.3% and 23.1% of total variance respectively. For the external parameters, the first two principal component axes (PC1 and PC2) explained 83.6% (55.2% and 28.4%, respectively) of the variation in size among the populations. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified the populations to regions with a high degree of reliability (97.8%). This study confirms the possibility of the presence of intraspecific variations among the populations of the three regions.
References
Abu Baker M. A., Amr Z. 2003. A morphometric and taxonomic revision of the genus Gerbillus (Mammalia, Rodent, Gerbillidae) in Jordan with notes on its current distribution. Zoologische Abhandlung 53: 177–204.
Alhajeri B. H. 2014. Adaptation, diversification, and desert ecology of the most diverse order of mammals (Mammalia, Rodentia). Ph.D. Thesis. Department of Biological Sciences, Florida State University.
Ashrafzadeh M. R., Karami M., Darvish J. 2007. A study on morphology and morphometry of subfamily of Gerbillinae (Rodent: Muridae) in Geno Biosphere Reserve, Hormozgan, Iran. Iranian Journal of Biology 20: 110–121.
Ashrafzadeh M. R., Karami M., Darvish J., Shahi T., Ghadirian T. 2010. A study of intraspecies variations of Baluchistan Gerbil, Gerbillus nanus Blanford, 1875. Taxonomy and Biosystematics 2: 11–24.
Baker A. J., Peterson R. L., Eger J. L., Manning T. H. 1978. Statistical analysis of geographic variation in the skull of the arctic hare (Lepus arcticus). Canadian Journal of Zoology 56: 2067–2082.
Bohoussou H. K., Akpatou B. K., Kadjo B., Soulemane O., N'Goran, E. K., Nicolas V. 2014. Morphometric variation in the forest rodent Malacomys edwardsi (Rodentia: Muridae) in Côte d’Ivoire. Journal of Applied Biosciences 80: 7014–7023.
Brohi M. A., Fakhri S. 2006. Survey of Small Mammals of Hingol National Park Balochistan. Records Zoological Survey of Pakistan 17: 7–10.
Chevret P., Dobigny G. 2005. Systematics and evolution of the subfamily Gerbillinae (Rodent, Murinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 35: 364–388.
Corbet G. B. 1978. The Mammals of the Palaearctic Region: A Taxonomic Review. London and Ithaca: British Museum (Natural History) and Cornell University Press.
Darvish J., Siahsarviie R., Mirshamsi O., Kayvanfar N., Hashemi N., Sadeghie-Shakib F. 2006. Diversity of the Rodents of Northeastern Iran. Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics 2: 57–76.
Darvish J. 2009. Morphometric comparison of fourteen species of the genus Meriones Illiger, 1811 (Gerbillinae, Rodentia) from Asia and North Africa. Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics 5: 59–77.
Darvish J. 2011. Morphological comparison of fourteen species of the genus Meriones Illiger, 1811 (Rodentia: Gerbillinae) from Asia and North Africa. Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics 7: 50–72.
Dianat M., Darvish J., Aliabadian M., Haddadian H., Khajeh A. Nicolas V. 2016. Integrative taxonomy of Meriones persicus (Rodentia, Gerbillinae) in Iran. Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics 12: 77–95.
Dianat M., Darvish J., Cornette R., Aliabadian M., Nicolas V. 2017. Evolutionary history of the Persian Jird, Meriones persicus, based on genetics, species distribution modelling and morphometric data. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 55: 29–45.
Etemad E. 1978. The Mammals of Iran. Tehran: National Society for Protection of Natural Resources and Human Environment.
Evans M. E., Smith S. A., Flynn R. S., Donoghue M. J. 2008. Climate, niche evolution, and diversification of the “bird-cage” evening primroses (Oenothera, sections Anogra and Kleinia). The American Naturalist 173: 225–240.
Francescoli G., Quirici V., Sobrero R. 2012. Patterns of variation in the tympanic bulla of tuco-tucos (Rodentia, Ctenomyidae, Ctenomys). Acta Theriologica 57: 153–163.
Ghadirian T., Mohamadi S., Ashrafzadeh M. R., Najafabadi M. S., Shahi T., Khaleghi Hamidi A. H. 2011. Distribution and taxonomic status of the eastern spiny mouse (Acomys dimidiatus) (Rodentia: Muridae) in Iran. Acta Zoologica Lituanica 21: 244–249.
Harrison D. L., Bates P. J. J. 1991. The Mammals of Arabia. Sevenoaks, UK: Harrison Zoological Museum.
Karami M., Hutterer R., Benda P., Siahsarvie R., Kryštufek B. 2008. Annotated checklist of the mammals of Iran. Lynx (Praha) 39: 63–102.
Khaje A., Meshkani J. 2010. A study of intraspecies variations of Indian Jerbil, Tatera indica Hardwicke, 1807 (Muridae, Rodent) in eastern border of Iran. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences 13: 59–65.
Kostikova A., Silvestro D., Pearman P. B., Salamin N. 2016. Bridging inter-and intraspecific trait evolution with a hierarchical Bayesian approach. Systematic biology 65: 417–431.
Lay D. M. 1967. A study of the mammals of Iran resulting from the street expedition of 1962–63. Fieldiana Zoology 54: 1–282.
Liao J., Zhang Z., Liu N. 2007. Effects of altitudinal change on the auditory bulla in Ochotona daurica (Mammalia, Lagomorpha). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 45: 151–154.
Martínez J. J., Cola V. D. 2011. Geographic distribution and phenetic skull variation in two close species of Graomys (Rodentia, Cricetidae, Sigmodontinae). Zoologischer Anzeiger 250: 175–194.
Mirshamsi O., Darvish J., Kayvanfar N. 2007. A preliminary study on Indian Gerbils, Tatera indica Hardwicke, 1807 at population level in eastern and southern parts of Iran (Rodent: Muridae). Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics 3: 49–61.
Molur S., Srinivasulu C., Srinivasulu B., Walker S., Nameer P. O., Ravikumar L. 2005. Status of South Asian non-volant small mammals: Conservation assessment and management plan (CAMP). Workshop report. Zoo Outreach Organisation/ CBSC- South Asia, Coimbatore, India.
Momenzadeh M., Darvish J., Tutunian F., Sarmad M. 2001. A study for ages of Iranian and Libyan jirds and its relation with cranial characters. Proceedings of the 10th Conference of Biology, Shiraz University, Iran.
Momtazi F., Darvish J., Ghassemzadeh F., Moghimi A. 2008. Elliptic Fourier analysis on the tympanic bullae in three Meriones species (Rodentia, Mammalia): its application in biosystematics. Acta zoologica cracoviensia 51: 49–58.
Monteiro L. R., Duarte L. C., dos Reis S. F. 2003. Environmental correlates of geographical variation in skull and mandible shape of Thrichomys apereoides (Rodentia: Echimyidae). Journal of Zoology 261: 47–57.
Moradi M., Kivanc E. 2003. A study on the morphology, karyology and distribution of Ellobius Fisher, 1814 (Mammalia: Rodent) in Iran. Turkish Journal of Zoology 27: 281–292.
Musser G. C., Carleton M. D. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea, in: Wilson D. E., Reeder D. M. (Eds.), Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, pp. 894–1531.
Ojeda R. A., Borghi C. E., Diaz G. B., Giannoni S. M., Mares M. A., Braun J.K. 1999. Evolutionary convergence of the highly adapted desert rodent Tympanoctomys barrerae (Octodontidae). Journal of Arid Environments 41: 443–452.
Quintela F. M., Fornel R., Freitas T. R. 2016. Geographic variation in skull shape of the water rat Scapteromys tumidus (Cricetidae, Sigmodontinae): isolation-by-distance plus environmental and geographic barrier effects?. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 88: 451–466.
Shenbrot G., Krasnov B., Khokhlova I., Demidova T., Fielden L. 2002. Habitat-dependent differences in architecture and microclimate of Sundevall’s Jird (Meriones crassus) burrows in the Negev Desert Israel. Journal of Arid Environments 51: 265–279.
Shirani Bidabadi L., Nilforoushzadeh M. A., Akhavan A. A., Abdoli H., Siadat A. H., Jaffary F., Hejazi S. H., Shareghi N., Ghanei M., Arandian M., Moradi S. H. 2009. Karyosystematic and morphometric characterization of the rodents as reservoir hosts of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in an endemic focus of Isfahan Province, Iran. Journal of Vector Borne Diseases 46: 52–56.
Tabatabaei Yazdi F., Adriaens D. 2011. Patterns of phenotypic skull variation in Meriones persicus (Rodentia: Muridae) in relation to geoclimatical conditions. Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics 7: 129–142.
Tabatabaei Yazdi F., Adriaens D. 2013. Cranial variation in Meriones tristrami (Rodentia: Muridae: Gerbillinae) and its morphological comparison with Meriones persicus, Meriones vinogradovi and Meriones libycus: a geometric morphometric study. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 51: 239–251.
Urbanski J., Mogi M., O’Donnell D., DeCotiis M., Toma T., Armbruster P. 2012. Rapid adaptive evolution of photoperiodic response during invasion and range expansion across a climatic gradient. The American Naturalist 179: 490–500.
Vaughan T. A., Ryan J. M., Czaplewski N. J. 2000. Mammalogy. Fourth Edition. New York: Harcourt College Publishers.
Wiens J. J. 2004. Speciation and ecology revisited: phylogenetic niche conservatism and the origin of species. Evolution 58: 193–197.
Wilson D. E., Reeder D. M. 2005. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
YiĞit N., Çolak E. 1999. A study of the taxonomy and karyology of Meriones persicus (Blanford, 1875) (Mammalia: Rodent) in Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology 23: 269–274.
JWB applies the 