Developmental stability and protein heterozygosity in a local population of Iberian hares (Lepus granatensis)

Various studies have revealed a positive effect of heterozygosity on develo pmental stability in animals of diverse taxa. In homeothermic vertebrates, however, no clear picture has so far emerged in this context. Here, we test the influence of heterozygosity on the developmental stability of adult-si zed skulls of 63 Iberian hares (Lepus granatensis) from a Local population in Portugal. 44 allozyme and blood protein Loci were screened by horizontal starch gel electrophoresis, agarose electrophoresis, and isoelectric focus ing. This yielded eleven polymorphic Loci, that were used to calculate indi vidual heterozygosity. Levels of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of three morpho logical character systems (15 epigenetic dental characters, ten non-metric skull traits, six metric skull variables) were determined and used as indic ators of the levels of developmental homeostasis of single hares. Overall i ndividual heterozygosity did not correlate with respective FA Levels in any of the three morphological character systems. However, a trend towards a n egative relationship between metric FA and heterozygosity suggested that th ere might be a slight positive influence of heterozygosity on developmental stability of the morphometric system, but it could be masked by various se asonal exogenic factors.