Chorological structure of the range and genetic variation of the midday gerbil (Meriones meridianus Pallas, 1773)

Abstract

The midday gerbil ( Meriones meridianus Pallas, 1773) range covers a significant portion of the Eurasian arid zone. This species tends to populate sands at different stages of stabilization and is encountered in various landscapes, from steppes to true deserts, as well as hills up to 1600 m above the see level. According to our data, the yearly average air temperature within the entire range of the midday gerbil is 9 ± 5.7°e , and the average annual precipitation is 180 ± 108 mm. A wide spread of a species under diverse natural conditions is usually characterized by a significant geographical variation. Midday gerbils were found to have a great intraspecific chromosomal variation [5]. M. dahli (Transcaucasia) and M. chengi (China), both of which were earlier assigned to M. meridianus , are now considered to be independent species [9]. Modern methods of molecular and genetic analyses make it possible to study gene genealogies and reconstruct the species range history taking into account the geographical data [1, 7]. Using these approaches supplemented with chorological analysis of the midday gerbil range, we demonstrated genetic similarity of the populations from Kalmykia in Russia to Xinjiang in China and their distinctions (reaching the species rank) from the Turkmenistan‐Uzbekistan and Tyva‐Mongolia gerbils. This is a new contribution to the gerbil taxonomy and the history of biota formation in desert landscapes.