DEVELOPMENTAL STABILITY IN HYBRIDS OF EUROPEAN BISON-BISON BONASUS AND DOMESTIC CATTLE

We examined fluctuating asymmetry of 25 characters of skull morphology (foramina, apertures through the bone for nerves and small blood vess els) to estimate the developmental stability of European bison Bison b onasus (Linnaeus, 1758) (n = 34), cattle (n = 13) and their hybrids (5 4 hybrids of different generations). Mean number of asymmetrical chara cters per individual was used as a measure of fluctuating asymmetry. E uropean bison were characterized by a lower developmental stability, c ompared with cattle. The developmental stability of hybrids was simila r to that of cattle and higher than that of European bison. These find ings suggest that the genomes of parental forms are similar and that t here is no indication of the disruption of genetic coadaptation in the ir hybrids.