Современные методы в систематике сурков. [Méthodes modernes pour la systématique des marmottes. Modern methods at marmot systematics].

Résumé

There are problems in systematics and taxonomy of the genus Marmota decision of which alaborated by classical morphological methods. For the decision of these problems the application of modern methods from area of cytology, genetics, immunogenetics, biochemistry, bioacoustics, and molecular biology is expedient. In marmots systematics karyotyping, protein gelelectrophoresis, immunogenetics, bioacoustics, and the DNA sequences methods were applied. Chromosome numbers and morphology were described for all marmot species. The marmots chromosome karyotyping was carried out by the method of routine colouring. Studies of marmots were based on a few specimens from limited number of localities. A karyological picture is discovery of 36- chromosome karyotype for subspecies M. baibacina kastschenko indicates on promising of chromosome study of marmots. The only on the marmot’s interspecies relations research was carried out by the protein gel-electrophoresis method, as an attempt to define genetic distances between some species of Palearctic Marmota was made. The constructed schema in a whole does not contradict to views of the majority of systematists, but it shows appreciable genetic affinity of the investigated Marmota species in comparison with another genus – Spermophilus. This work has preliminary character in connection with restricted material and unsufficiently complete scope of the investigated forms. The biochemical researches are perspective for study of the close forms with identical chromosome number, for example the bobak group. Alarm calls of marmots have species specific characters. They are used for specification of species areals, definition of hybrid zones and definition of the taxonomy status of disputable populations of species with indistinct morphological differences. The application of these characters in marmot systematics is an achievement of the Russian zoological school. A level of relationship of the majority of Palearctic and Nearctic species of marmots was appreciated by immunogenetics method. The immunogenetic data became one of the arguments to consider M. camtschatica as superspecies. As a whole the immunogenetics method has appeared enough productive in application to marmot systematics, in particular at study of an interspecies polymorphism and genetic distances between the close forms. It has some restrictions. Marmots are studied by methods of molecular biology from the beginning of 90th. The method of mitochondrial genes cytochrome b and ND4 sequences was applied in marmots systematics. The method is perspective with using of increasing number of researched genes and special views to nuclear genes. Palearctic marmots are better investigated than Nearctic by modern methods as by quantity of species and localities as on number of used techniques. Only complex application of modern methods of researches and morphological, physiological, ecological, ethological, biogeocenological researches can approach us to comprehension of processes, really proceeding in a nature, and to existing interspecies and intraspecies relations.