Diversity of the System of Red Blood Cell Parameters in the Pygmy Field Mouse and the House Mouse (Rodentia, Muridae) in the Elbrus Region: Multivariate and Information Analyses.

The variability and evenness (diversity) of the system of red blood cell parameters was assessed for the first time using multivariate and information analysis methods in the synanthropic M. musculus and the hemisynanthropic A. (S.) uralensis in the Central Caucasus Mountains (Elbrus region). This paper introduces the concept of the actual or realized "niche" of the red blood cell parameters system in the multidimensional space of the descriptive model. The niches of A. (S.) uralensis and M. musculus were clearly differentiated, the niche volume of A. (S.) uralensis significantly exceeding that of M. musculus. This paper describes interspecific differences in the seasonal regulation of blood parameters, which was more complex in A. (S.) uralensis and clearly cyclical from "winter" to "autumn." The results allowed us to conclude that, compared to M. musculus, A. (S.) uralensis implements a more flexible adaptation strategy to seasonal changes in the environment. The tested methodology of data analysis allows us to consider the results of particular studies on mammalian hematopoietic regulation in the broader context of problems of biodiversity and the dynamics and self-organization of biological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]