Designers of Nature's Subterranean Abodes: Insights into the Architecture and Utilization of Burrow Systems of Thomas' Pine Vole, (Rodentia: Arvicolinae).

(Rodentia: Arvicolinae), a fossorial vole endemic to the SW Balkans, uses a variety of substrates but its underground behavior remains poorly understood. This study examines the architecture and utilization of burrow systems in NW Peloponnese, Greece. In particular, eight burrow systems were meticulously excavated and studied, with comprehensive measurements taken of key characteristics, including length, depth, soil mounds, and surface openings.

R2d2 Drives Selfish Sweeps in the House Mouse.

A selective sweep is the result of strong positive selection driving newly occurring or standing genetic variants to fixation, and can dramatically alter the pattern and distribution of allelic diversity in a population. Population-level sequencing data have enabled discoveries of selective sweeps associated with genes involved in recent adaptations in many species. In contrast, much debate but little evidence addresses whether "selfish" genes are capable of fixation-thereby leaving signatures identical to classical selective sweeps-despite being neutral or deleterious to organismal fitness.

Centromere strength provides the cell biological basis for meiotic drive and karyotype evolution in mice.

Mammalian karyotypes (number and structure of chromosomes) can vary dramatically over short evolutionary time frames. There are examples of massive karyotype conversion, from mostly telocentric (centromere terminal) to mostly metacentric (centromere internal), in 10(2)-10(5) years. These changes typically reflect rapid fixation of Robertsonian (Rb) fusions, a common chromosomal rearrangement that joins two telocentric chromosomes at their centromeres to create one metacentric.

Quantitative variation of LINE-1 sequences in five species and three subspecies of the subgenus Mus and in five Robertsonian races of Mus musculus domesticus.

The quantitative variation of a conserved region of the LINE-1 ORF2 sequence was determined in eight species and subspecies of the subgenus Mus (M. m. domesticus, M.