Abstract
Morphologic and allozymic analyses provide evidence to suggest a lack of continuity between cactus mice (Peromyscus eremicus) from the Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts. In this study, cactus mice from 9 localities (6 from the Chihuahuan Desert and 3 from the Sonoran Desert) were analyzed for variation in restriction-fragment-length polymorphisms of a portion of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) known to be useful for discriminating among species of Peromyscus (Hogan et al., 1993). Digestions using 5 restriction enzymes resulted in the recognition of 5 mtDNA haplotypes. The distribution of haplotypes and nucleotide diversity indicate that P. eremicus from the Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts constitute distinct sets of populations. The pattern of mtDNA divergence suggests a lack of gene flow between the two races and supports the hypothesis that these groups represent distinct species. Pliocene or late Pleistocene pluvial-interpluvial climatic fluctuations are implicated as the primary isolating mechanism between the cactus mice from the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts.
Walpole, Deric King (1995). Mitochondrial DNA variation in populations of Peromyscus eremicus from the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1995 -THESIS -W354.