Variation in Mitochondrial DNA Control Region Haplotypes in Populations of the Bank Vole, Clethrionomys glareolus, Living in the Chernobyl Environment, Ukrain

The variation in mitochondrial DNA control region haplotypes in populations of the bank vole, Clethrionomys glareolus living in the Chernobyl environment, Ukraine was investigated. The exposed voles continually exhibited increased mitochondrial DNA haplotype (h) and nucleotide diversity (ND), observed in the hypervariable control region. The increased maternal mutation rates, source-sink relationships, or both were proposed as hypotheses for the differences. The DNA sequences were examined in a phylogenic context for novel substitutions not observed in haplotypes from bank voles from outside Ukraine or in other species of Clethrionomys. It was found that the increased maternal mutation rates did not appeared to explain trends in h and ND observed in northern Ukraine.