A preliminary note on banded karyotypes of the short-tailed shrew Blarina brevicauda (Mammalia, Insectivora)

Chromosomes of the short-tailed shrew Blarina brevicauda, which display the numerical polymorphism arisen from Robertsonian rearrangements, were analyzed with conventional and silver staining and G- and C-banding techniques. With respect to all specimens examined in the present study, the diploid chromosome number (2n) and fundamental autosomal arm number (FN) were 50 and 48, respectively. The karyotype consisted of 24 pairs of acrocentric autosomes, a large-sized metacentric X chromosome, and a small-sized submetacentric Y chromosome. The comparison with previous findings suggested the geographic polymorphism of Y chromosome in this species. All autosomes and the X chromosome carried slight centromeric constitutive heterochromatin, whereas the Y chromosome was entirely heterochromatic. On the satellites of short arms of two autosomal pairs, the nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) were recognized. The G- and C-banded and Ag-NOR-stained karyotypes presented in the present study could be useful cytogenetic characteristics for specification of chromosomes participating in Robertsonian rearrangements within this species and for karyo-systematic study of genus Blarina

Optimal level of inbreeding in the common lizard

Mate choice with regard to genetic similarity has been rarely considered as a dynamic process. We examined this possibility in breeding populations of the common lizard (Lacerta vivipara) kept for several years in semi-natural conditions. We investigated whether they displayed a pattern of mate choice according to the genetic similarity and whether it was context-dependent. Mate choice depended on genetic similarity with the partner and also on age and condition. There was no systematic avoidance of inbreeding. Females of intermediate ages, more monogamous, did not mate with genetically similar partners, whereas younger and older females, more polyandrous, did but highest clutch proportions were associated with intermediate values of pair-relatedness. These results indicate dynamic mate choice, suggesting that individuals of different phenotypes select their partners in different ways according to their genetic similarity. We consider our results in the light of diverse and apparently contradictory theories concerning genetic compatibility, and particularly, optimal inbreeding and inclusive fitness