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Genetic heterozygosity in polecat Mustela putorius populations from western France
1Laboratory of Animal Ecology, University of Angers, France. thierry.lode@univ_angers.fr
Abstract:
Allozymic variations were investigated in 49 European polecats Mustela putorius from Western France by starch gel electrophoresis. Out of 31 surveyed loci, eight (25.8%) were shown polymorphic and observed heterozygosity averaged 0.057. Deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and heterozygote deficiency suggest that populations were not in panmixia. Heterozygotes for two loci or more totalled 42.9% of individuals. Thus, although carnivores were previously considered as less variable, polecat populations from Western France showed a high genetic variability.
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