Leukocytes of the blood of rodents from the “Kologrivsky Forest” Nature Reserve and Kostroma Forestry Site

Abstract

The ecological, physiological and species-specific characteristics of the leukocyte profile of two species of cyclomorphic rodents, the bank vole Myodes glareolus (Schreber, 1780) and the pygmy wood mouse Apodemus uralensis (Pallas, 1811), were studied for the first time in the adjacent territories of the Kologriv and Kostroma districts of the Kostroma Oblast. It was established that the leukocyte profiles of the studied rodents are different in different species and vary significantly among individuals inhabiting the Kologrivsky Forest Reserve and the Kostroma Forestry. Multivariate analysis of variance showed that the white blood cell differential parameters largely correlate with the following factors: “location of capture,” “taxonomic species,” “gender,” “stage of the population cycle,” and “year of study.” The relatively high degree of deviation of the splenic index in the studied species indicates the heterogeneity of populations for this trait. At the same time, no reliable association was found between the risk of developing splenomegaly in mouse-like rodents, and the characteristics of their reproductive strategy and susceptibility to invasions.

Keywords

• micromammals
• bank vole
• pygmy wood mouse
• hematological parameters
• variability
• stress
• spleen
• splenomegaly
• kostroma oblast