Variation in the weight of the adrenal, pituitary and thyroid gland of the white-footed mouse,Peromyscus maniculatus

Morphometric measurements or biochemical methods are often required to differentiate deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus (Wagner, 1845), from white-footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque, 1818), particularly when they are found in sympatry. However, these approaches cannot easily be applied to juveniles, or to degraded or ancient museum specimens. In this paper, we propose a rapid and non-invasive molecular approach to discriminate these cryptic species from one another. This technique relies on species-specific primers designed in the COIII mitochondrial region to amplify fragments of different lengths in each species. The method developed proved useful for the identification of ethanol-preserved, frozen, degraded, or dry museum specimens.

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A comparison of body weight and thyroid gland activity in two subspecies of Peromyscus maniculatus from birth to 70 days of age

General and Comparative Endocrinology ◽

10.1016/0016-6480(61)90015-6 ◽

1961 ◽

Vol 1 (5-6) ◽

pp. 534-540 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

B.E. Eleftheriou ◽

M.X. Zarrow

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Thyroid Gland ◽

Peromyscus Maniculatus ◽

Thyroid Gland Activity

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Microsatellite markers reveal low frequency of natural hybridization between the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) and deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) in southern Quebec, Canada

Genome ◽

10.1139/gen-2016-0163 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 60 (5) ◽

pp. 454-463 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Sarah S.T. Leo ◽

Virginie Millien

Keyword(s):

Microsatellite Markers ◽

Disease Transmission ◽

Peromyscus Maniculatus ◽

Peromyscus Leucopus ◽

Deer Mouse ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Natural Hybridization ◽

Transmission Risk ◽

Low Frequencies ◽

White Footed Mouse

In some parts of southern Quebec, two closely related rodent species — the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) and the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) — have recently come in contact because of climate-driven changes in the distribution of the former. Both species share similar morphology, ecology, and life history traits, which suggests that natural hybridization may be possible. Hybridization among these two species can have important implications on the ecological roles these rodents play in disease transmission, yet few researchers have attempted to examine this phenomenon and results from previous hybridization experiments have remained inconclusive and conflicting. In this study, we attempt to investigate the occurrence of hybridization among white-footed mice and deer mice in southern Quebec by genotyping wild caught specimens with selectively neutral, polymorphic microsatellite markers. Our analyses suggest that hybridization may be occurring at extremely low frequency between both species in our study area. The presence of such hybridization events, even at low frequencies, may have implications on disease transmission risk in the region and further detailed studies are necessary.

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