Geographic Variation in Pine Marten (Martes martes) and Beech Marten (M. foina) in Europe

Variation in 23 measurements of skulls of Martes martes from 15 populations covering most of the range of distribution in Europe indicates the existence of a north-south gradient of increasing skull size. Skulls of M. foina from 13 populations increase in size from west to east. Geographic variation in sexual dimorphism is not significant in the two species. Arrangement of samples by discriminant analysis, which was used to examine overall phenetic variation, reflects the geographic origin of the samples. Multiple regression of morphologic and climatic principal components shows a strong relationship between skull width and climate, especially in M. foina. Patterns of variation in sympatric and allopatric samples and variation in relative size between species within their area of sympatry suggest no character displacement between species. Phylogenetic and ecologic differences appear to be the main reasons for distinct patterns of geographic variation found in the two species, despite their apparent morphologic similarities.