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Vol. 40 No. 3, 2001
Relatedness Structure and Individual Identification in a Semi-fossorial Shrew (Soricidae: Anourosorex squamipes) - an Application of Microsatellite DNA
Hon-Tsen Yu1,*, Yu-Ying Liao1 and Chen-Hung Kao2
1Department of Zoology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan 106
2Institute of Statistical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 115
Hon-Tsen Yu, Yu-Ying Liao and Chen-Hung Kao (2001) We address the genetic relatedness of the mole shrew, Anourosorex squamipes,
in Taiwan, employing 11 microsatellite DNA markers. These markers
enable us to assign “bar codes” to each of the 36 mole shrews studied
for individual recognition. We analyzed the relatedness among
individuals sampled from populations at 3 levels of geographical scale,
i.e., individuals sampled within a radius of 3, 15, and 100 km,
respectively. The mean relatedness values were inversely proportional
to the geographic realms of the populations: the mean relatedness value
increased as the range decreased. However, even within the populations
of a small range, variations of relatedness were no less than those of
populations of larger ranges. Often local populations contained
subgroups in terms of relatedness.
Key words: Anourosorex, Sociality, Relatedness, Shrew, Microsatellite DNA.
*Correspondence: Tel: 886-2-23630231 ext. 2127. Fax: 886-2-23638179. E-mail: ayu@ccms.ntu.edu.tw
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