Publications by authors named "Laura I Walker"
Article Synopsis
- Cavia tschudii is a wild guinea pig species from South America that is genetically close to the domestic guinea pig, Cavia porcellus.
- The study analyzed the chromosome structures (karyotypes) of both species and found that while they have the same number of chromosomes (64), C. tschudii has distinct submetacentric chromosome pairs not found in C. porcellus.
- Genetic differences were observed in banding patterns and chromosome morphology, indicating that domestication may have led to specific chromosomal changes in C. tschudii, suggesting its role in the divergence of these two guinea pig species.
A small, new species of gerbil rodents of the genus Eligmodontia from the southwestern dunes of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile is described; the genus had not been reported for this western lowland region. Our description is based on cytogenetic and molecular data, as well as cranial and external morphology. In order to support this hypothesis, we studied 27 specimens captured in Playa Los Choros (Coquimbo) and Copiapó (Atacama), comparing them with samples of all the extant species of the genus.
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