A catalogue of anomalies and rare traits of dentition of arvicoline rodents: implications for monitoring of lemming populations in the Arctic

Recent studies have shown that global warming threatens populations of lemmings in the Low Arctic, thus emphasizing the need for species monitoring.A catalogue of congenital and acquired pathologies and rare traits of dentition of arvicoline rodents is created based on the analysis of dental variation in natural populations of widespread North-Eurasian voles and lemmings (Lemmus, Myopus, Dicrostonyx, Arvicola, Clethrionomys, Lasiopodonys, Alexandromys, Micortus) and in laboratory colonies of Dicrostonyx and Microtus.It is shown that anomalies and pathologies of dentition in arvicolines are non-species-or genus-specific and the same approach might be used to assess phenotypic disorders for most taxa in Arvicolinae.A scale for assessing the phenotypic severity of dental disorders in arvicolines is developed, which allows identifying phenotypically vulnerable populations and determining possible detrimental factors for further testing.