Disjunct habitats as islands: genetic variability in the Caucasian rock lizard Lacerta portschinskii.
Genetic diversity at 37 allozyme loci was surveyed in Lacerta portschinskii from contiguous populations and from a disjunct population. Indices of genetic diversity (heterozygosity, number of alleles per locus, and percentage of loci polymorphic) were greater in contiguous populations than in the smaller disjunct population. In this regard, disjunct populations appear to be similar to island populations. Indices of genetic diversity in Caucasian Lacerta are less than those reported from vagile lizard taxa and more similar to those of sit-and-wait predators.
MacCulloch
R D
RD
Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, M5S 2C6, Canada.
Murphy
R W
RW
Fu
J
J
Darevsky
I S
IS
Danielyan
F
F