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1 June 2006 Morphological variation of large Japanese field mice, Apodemus speciosus on the Izu and Oki Islands
Yasushi Takada, Eiichi Sakai, Yasushi Uematsu, Takashi Tateishi
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Abstract

Morphological variation was examined in large Japanese field mice, Apodemus speciosus, of five populations from the Izu Islands (from Oshima, Shikinejima, Niijima, Kozushima and Miyakejima), four from the Oki Islands (from Dogo, Nishinoshima, Nakanoshima and Chiburijima), and four from the Japanese mainland of Honshu. Univariate and multivariate (PCA) analyses were conducted on the basis of body-, mandible-, and molar-measurements. Overall, the insular mice had a tendency toward gigantism, and also showed marked morphological differentiation among the islands. The sizes of the mandible and molar were inversely correlated to island area and temperature, thus suggesting a selective effect. Although faunal diversity might be related to the morphological variation in size, there was no clear relationship between the morphological variation and biotic factors such as predation and competition. The populations from the Izu Islands underwent marked morphological divergence, suggesting founder effects. The Izu Island are oceanic and have probably never been connected with Honshu, hence mice were likely transported from Honshu. On the other hand, the Oki Islands had been connected with Honshu in the late Pleistocene. The founders of the insular mice related to the history of the islands could have likely affected the morphological variation.

Yasushi Takada, Eiichi Sakai, Yasushi Uematsu, and Takashi Tateishi "Morphological variation of large Japanese field mice, Apodemus speciosus on the Izu and Oki Islands," Mammal Study 31(1), 29-40, (1 June 2006). https://doi.org/10.3106/1348-6160(2006)31[29:MVOLJF]2.0.CO;2
Received: 10 November 2005; Accepted: 1 March 2006; Published: 1 June 2006
KEYWORDS
Apodemus speciosus
Izu Islands
large Japanese field mice
Oki Islands
variation
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