Allozymes in mammalian population genetics and systematics: indicative function of a marker system reconsidered

Data from an extensive research project on lagomorphs were compiled and re-analyzed from a synoptical point of view for examining the indicative function of allozymic variation. Empirical data suggested the Shannon-Weaver information index to be a better indicator of allelic diversity than expected average heterozygosity. There were differences in polymorphism among various structural and physiological classes of enzymes. Reliable estimates of gene diversity and genetic distances can be obtained only if more than 30 loci are examined. At the population level, allozymic diversity was not related to morphological variation. It was, however, indicative of increased developmental homeostasis as assessed by overall fluctuating asymmetry in non-metric morphological traits. Allozymes served well for fully resolving genetic differentiation among populations and for assessing levels of migration, whereas mtDNA and morphological data provided only additional information. The results are discussed with respect to data from other mammalian taxa.