[Genetic differentiation of Caucasian wood mice: comparison of isozymic, chromosomal and molecular divergence].

Data on the complex genetic analysis of three sympatric species of Caucasian wood mice, Apodemus ponticus, A. fulvipectus, and A. uralensis are presented. A high degree of genetic differentiation at the isozymic, karyological and molecular (nuclear DNA) levels was revealed. The genetic distances between each pair of species varied significantly within a wide range depending on the analyzed level of the organization of genetic material. Mean values of genetic divergence from one species to another were also variable. These findings indicated that evolution of chromosomes was slower than that of isozymes, and the degree of species divergence was similar on cytogenetic and molecular levels. They also suggested that the rates of species evolution could vary in different phyletic lineages and on different levels of organization. Some phyletic lineages of Apodemus could be distinguished by different directions of evolution.