TY - JOUR

T1 - Fluctuating Asymmetry and Morphogenetic Correlations of the Masticatory Surface Patterns of m1 in Gray Voles (Rodentia, Arvicolinae)

AU - Kovaleva, V. Yu

AU - Pozdnyakov, A. A.

AU - Litvinov, Yu N.

AU - Efimov, V. M.

N1 - Funding Information: This study was supported by the Program of Basic Scientific Research (BSR) of the State Academies of Sciences for 2013–2020, project no. VI.51.1.4. (AAAA-A16-116121410119-4), including material from the collection of the Siberian Zoological Museum, Novosibirsk, and the Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, supported by the program of bioresource collections of the Federal Agency of Scientific Organizations of Russia AAAA-A17-117101070002-6. Statistical data analysis (BME) was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project no. 19-07-00658-a. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, Pleiades Publishing, Inc.

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - We analyzed the relationships between the modularity and integration of the morphotypic variability of the first lower molar (m1) in gray voles, Microtus s. l., based on fluctuating asymmetry data. In total, 5500 pairs of masticatory surface outlines of the left and right first lower molar m1 were studied. Fifty-seven different morphotypes and 229 of their various combinations were identified. The morphotypes were grouped in a contingency table. The frequencies of morphotypes symmetric with respect to the main diagonal in the table were averaged in order to identify the fluctuating asymmetry. Table rows were normalized for the sum; i.e., the frequencies of the occurrence of each morphotype in a pair with all morphotypes including its own were calculated. A matrix of Cavalli-Sforza–Edwards distances between rows in this table was calculated, and Ward’s cluster analysis was applied. Cluster analysis showed the existence of five clusters differing in the degree of morphotype complexity. Clusters of the morphotypes corresponded to the species group of gray voles. The distances between the morphotypes inside the clusters were lower than the intercluster distances, indicating the presence of modularity in the system. The modules were formed by ontogenetic similarity as they were obtained from the data on the fluctuating asymmetry of morphotypes. The molar m1 morphological structure had its own modular structure consisting of two submodules corresponding to the morphogenetic mechanism of its complication.

AB - We analyzed the relationships between the modularity and integration of the morphotypic variability of the first lower molar (m1) in gray voles, Microtus s. l., based on fluctuating asymmetry data. In total, 5500 pairs of masticatory surface outlines of the left and right first lower molar m1 were studied. Fifty-seven different morphotypes and 229 of their various combinations were identified. The morphotypes were grouped in a contingency table. The frequencies of morphotypes symmetric with respect to the main diagonal in the table were averaged in order to identify the fluctuating asymmetry. Table rows were normalized for the sum; i.e., the frequencies of the occurrence of each morphotype in a pair with all morphotypes including its own were calculated. A matrix of Cavalli-Sforza–Edwards distances between rows in this table was calculated, and Ward’s cluster analysis was applied. Cluster analysis showed the existence of five clusters differing in the degree of morphotype complexity. Clusters of the morphotypes corresponded to the species group of gray voles. The distances between the morphotypes inside the clusters were lower than the intercluster distances, indicating the presence of modularity in the system. The modules were formed by ontogenetic similarity as they were obtained from the data on the fluctuating asymmetry of morphotypes. The molar m1 morphological structure had its own modular structure consisting of two submodules corresponding to the morphogenetic mechanism of its complication.

KW - cheek teeth

KW - contingency table

KW - fluctuating asymmetry

KW - modular structure

KW - morphotype

KW - voles

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85122069441&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=47548009

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/fc97624c-68bb-3885-b20e-8a5bb947d323/

U2 - 10.1134/S1062359021090119

DO - 10.1134/S1062359021090119

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85122069441

VL - 48

SP - 1609

EP - 1622

JO - Biology Bulletin

JF - Biology Bulletin

SN - 1062-3590

IS - 9

M1 - 15

ER -