Genomic instability in the bank vole: Population-ecological aspects

Chromosome aberration frequency in relation to population dynamics and demographic parameters was studied for six years in a bank vole population in the Middle Urals. The frequencies of structural chromosome aberrations, chromatid gaps, aneuploidy, and polyploidy in males and females and in animals of different ages did not differ significantly. In the breeding period, the frequencies of structural aberrations and changes in chromosome number increased in the somatic cells of voles. Highly significant differences between the levels of chromosome instability in different years manifested a tendency toward a negative correlation with population size.