The Usage of Different Systems of Characters in Population Phenetics

Abstract

A comparative analysis of the phenetic pool of mammalian populations has been performed on the basis of two groups of characters: odontological and craniological proper. In total, 1637 skulls belonging to seven species were analyzed. It is shown that the values of population parameters (the intrapopulation diversity, proportion of rare phenes, and fluctuating asymmetry) are significantly different for these two groups of characters. We hypothesize a greater degree of gene control in the formation of odontological characters and their lower responsiveness to environmental factors in comparison with craniological characters. Significant correlations between fluctuating asymmetry values have been identified for the different groups of characters, and a significant positive relationship between the fluctuating asymmetry and diversity was established. Complex usage of the two character systems is proposed to identify the initial stages of individual development disorders and assess the degree of these disorders in the course of evaluation of the stability of ontogenesis on the basis of the fluctuating asymmetry level in natural mammalian populations.