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Quiroga-Carmona M, Teta P, D’Elía G. The skull variation of the olive field mouse Abrothrix olivacea (Cricetidae: Abrotrichini) is localized and correlated to the ecogeographic features of its geographic distribution. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15200. [PMID: 37077313 PMCID: PMC10108858 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The relationship between phenotypic variation and landscape heterogeneity has been extensively studied to understand how the environment influences patterns of morphological variation and differentiation of populations. Several studies had partially addressed intraspecific variation in the sigmodontine rodent Abrothrix olivacea, focusing on the characterization of physiological aspects and cranial variation. However, these had been conducted based on geographically restricted populational samples, and in most cases, the aspects characterized were not explicitly contextualized with the environmental configurations in which the populations occurred. Here, the cranial variation of A. olivacea was characterized by recording twenty cranial measurements in 235 individuals from 64 localities in Argentina and Chile, which widely cover the geographic and environmental distribution of this species. The morphological variation was analyzed and ecogeographically contextualized using multivariate statistical analyses, which also included climatic and ecological variation at the localities where the individuals were sampled. Results indicate that the cranial variation of this species is mostly clustered in localized patterns associated to the types of environments, and that the levels of cranial differentiation are higher among the populations from arid and treeless zones. Additionally, the ecogeographical association of cranial size variation indicate that this species does not follow Bergmann's rule and that island populations exhibit larger cranial sizes compared to their continental counterparts distributed at the same latitudes. These results suggest that cranial differentiation among the populations of this species is not homogeneous throughout its geographic distribution, and that the patterns of morphological differentiation are also not completely consistent with the patterns of genetic structuring that have been described recently. Finally, the analyses performed to ponder morphological differentiation among populations suggest that the contribution of genetic drift in the formation of these patterns can be ruled out among Patagonian populations, and that the selective effect imposed by the environment could better explain them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcial Quiroga-Carmona
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Región de los Ríos, Chile
- Colección de Mamíferos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Región de los Ríos, Chile
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
| | - Pablo Teta
- División de Mastozoología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Guillermo D’Elía
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Región de los Ríos, Chile
- Colección de Mamíferos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Región de los Ríos, Chile
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Schlis‐Elias MC, Malaney JL. Island biogeography predicts skull gigantism and shape variation in meadow voles
Microtus pennsylvanicus
through ecological release and allometry. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mariah C. Schlis‐Elias
- Snyder Museum of Zoology and Dept of Biology, Austin Peay State Univ. Clarksville TN USA
- New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Dept of BioScience Albuquerque NM USA
| | - Jason L. Malaney
- Snyder Museum of Zoology and Dept of Biology, Austin Peay State Univ. Clarksville TN USA
- New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Dept of BioScience Albuquerque NM USA
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3
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Li J, Dirzo R, Wang Y, Zeng D, Liu J, Ren P, Zhong L, Ding P. Rapid morphological change in a small mammal species after habitat fragmentation over the past half‐century. DIVERS DISTRIB 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
| | - Rodolfo Dirzo
- Department of Biology and Woods Institute for the Environment Stanford University Stanford California USA
| | - Yanping Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology College of Life Sciences Nanjing Normal University Nanjing China
| | - Di Zeng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
| | - Juan Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
| | - Peng Ren
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
| | - Lei Zhong
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
| | - Ping Ding
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection College of Life Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
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Valenzuela A, Martínez‐Sánchez RM, García J, Alcover JA. New insights into the historical translocation of the Algerian hedgehog and pine marten throughout the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean): refining the radiocarbon‐based chronology. J Zool (1987) 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Valenzuela
- Department of Historical Sciences & Art Theory University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) Palma Spain
| | | | - J. García
- Department of History and Art University of Malaga Malaga Spain
| | - J. A. Alcover
- Departament de Biodiversitat Animal i Microbiana Institut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats (UIB‐CSIC) Esporles Spain
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Benítez-López A, Santini L, Gallego-Zamorano J, Milá B, Walkden P, Huijbregts MAJ, Tobias JA. The island rule explains consistent patterns of body size evolution in terrestrial vertebrates. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:768-786. [PMID: 33859376 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01426-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Island faunas can be characterized by gigantism in small animals and dwarfism in large animals, but the extent to which this so-called 'island rule' provides a general explanation for evolutionary trajectories on islands remains contentious. Here we use a phylogenetic meta-analysis to assess patterns and drivers of body size evolution across a global sample of paired island-mainland populations of terrestrial vertebrates. We show that 'island rule' effects are widespread in mammals, birds and reptiles, but less evident in amphibians, which mostly tend towards gigantism. We also found that the magnitude of insular dwarfism and gigantism is mediated by climate as well as island size and isolation, with more pronounced effects in smaller, more remote islands for mammals and reptiles. We conclude that the island rule is pervasive across vertebrates, but that the implications for body size evolution are nuanced and depend on an array of context-dependent ecological pressures and environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Benítez-López
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. .,Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Luca Santini
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CNR-IRET), National Research Council, Monterotondo (Rome), Italy
| | - Juan Gallego-Zamorano
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Borja Milá
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Patrick Walkden
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Mark A J Huijbregts
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
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Predicting the Presence of Leptospires in Rodents from Environmental Indicators Opens Up Opportunities for Environmental Monitoring of Human Leptospirosis. REMOTE SENSING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/rs13020325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Leptospirosis, an environmental infectious disease of bacterial origin, is the infectious disease with the highest associated mortality in Seychelles. In small island territories, the occurrence of the disease is spatially heterogeneous and a better understanding of the environmental factors that contribute to the presence of the bacteria would help implement targeted control. The present study aimed at identifying the main environmental parameters correlated with animal reservoirs distribution and Leptospira infection in order to delineate habitats with highest prevalence. We used a previously published dataset produced from a large collection of rodents trapped during the dry and wet seasons in most habitats of Mahé, the main island of Seychelles. A land use/land cover analysis was realized in order to describe the various environments using SPOT-5 images by remote sensing (object-based image analysis). At each sampling site, landscape indices were calculated and combined with other geographical parameters together with rainfall records to be used in a multivariate statistical analysis. Several environmental factors were found to be associated with the carriage of leptospires in Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus, namely low elevations, fragmented landscapes, the proximity of urbanized areas, an increased distance from forests and, above all, increased precipitation in the three months preceding trapping. The analysis indicated that Leptospira renal carriage could be predicted using the species identification and a description of landscape fragmentation and rainfall, with infection prevalence being positively correlated with these two environmental variables. This model may help decision makers in implementing policies affecting urban landscapes and/or in balancing conservation efforts when designing pest control strategies that should also aim at reducing human contact with Leptospira-laden rats while limiting their impact on the autochthonous fauna.
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Valladares-Gómez A, Huenumilla-Linares M, Rodríguez-Serrano E, Hernández CE, Palma RE. Morphological variation in two sigmodontine rodents along the mainland and the Fuegian archipelago in Chilean southern Patagonia. REVISTA CHILENA DE HISTORIA NATURAL 2020. [DOI: 10.1186/s40693-020-00094-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Analysis of morphological variation in archipelagos has been essential to understand the evolution of terrestrial vertebrates. In particular, these natural scenarios allow to assess morphological changes experienced by insular fauna compared to their mainland counterparts. In mammals, morphological changes of insular forms have been observed in size and shape of body and cranial traits. The southern Patagonia of Chile represents a unique scenario to analyze morphological variation in two of the most widely distributed small rodents along western southern South America: Abrothrix olivacea and Oligoryzomys longicaudatus.
Methods
We applied linear and three-dimensional geometric morphometric tools to analyze the variation in cranial morphology of A. olivacea (N = 80) and O. longicaudatus (N = 49). Sampled localities were distributed in the mainland and islands of the Fuegian archipelago in Chilean Patagonia. Standard multivariate methods, as Principal Components Analysis, and Logistic Regression models were carried out to evaluate differences in size and shape of crania.
Results
We detected higher levels of morphological variation in the crania of A. olivacea if compared to O. longicaudatus. The variation was associated to cranial size instead of shape.
We observed significant differences between insular and mainland individuals in A. olivacea, being the cranium size of this species significantly bigger on islands. Indeed, specimens of A. olivacea from “Isla Wellington”, exhibited the higher increment in cranium size compared to any other mainland and insular site sampled for this species. In contrast, insular and mainland forms of O. longicaudatus did not show significant differences in cranial morphology.
Conclusions
We suggest that the patterns of morphological variation observed in these two small rodents along Patagonia, could be explained in terms of the historical biogeography of the region, and the different ecological features of the studied species.
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van der Geer AA. Size matters: micro-evolution in Polynesian rats highlights body size changes as initial stage in evolution. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9076. [PMID: 32377457 PMCID: PMC7194086 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Microevolutionary patterns in populations of introduced rodent species have often been the focus of analytic studies for their potential relevance to understanding vertebrate evolution. The Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans) is an excellent proxy species because of its wide geographic and temporal distribution: its native and introduced combined range spans half the globe and it has been living for at least seven centuries wherever it was introduced. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of long-term isolation (insularity; up to 4,000 years) and geographic variables on skull shape variation using geometric morphometrics. A sample of 513 specimens from 103 islands and four mainland areas was analysed. This study, to my knowledge the first to extensively sample introduced rats, analysed 59 two-dimensional landmarks on the skull. Landmarks were obtained in three separate aspects (dorsal, lateral, ventral skull view). The coordinate data were then subjected to a multivariate ordination analysis (principal components analysis, or PCA), multivariate regressions, and a canonical variates analysis (CVA). Three measures of disparity were evaluated for each view. The results show that introduced Polynesian rats evolve skull shapes that conform to the general mammalian interspecific pattern of cranial evolutionary allometry (CREA), with proportionally longer snouts in larger specimens. In addition, larger skulls are more tubular in shape than the smaller skulls, which are more balloon-shaped with a rounder and wider braincase relative to those of large skulls. This difference is also observed between the sexes (sexual dimorphism), due to the slightly larger average male size. Large, tubular skulls with long snouts are typical for Polynesia and Remote Oceania, where no native mammals occur. The greater disparity of Polynesian rats on mammal species-poor islands ('exulans-only' region) provides further insight into how diversity may affect diversification through ecological release from predators and competitors.
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Miszkiewicz JJ, Louys J, Beck RMD, Mahoney P, Aplin K, O’Connor S. Island rule and bone metabolism in fossil murines from Timor. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Skeletal growth rates reconstructed from bone histology in extinct insular hippopotamids, elephants, bovids and sauropods have been used to infer dwarfism as a response to island conditions. Limited published records of osteocyte lacunae densities (Ot.Dn), a proxy for living osteocyte proliferation, have suggested a slower rate of bone metabolism in giant mammals. Here, we test whether insularity might have affected bone metabolism in a series of small to giant murine rodents from Timor. Ten adult femora were selected from a fossil assemblage dated to the Late Quaternary (~5000–18 000 years old). Femur morphometric data were used in computing phylogenetically informed body mass regressions, although the phylogenetic signal was very low (Pagel’s λ = 0.03). Estimates of body weight calculated from these femora ranged from 75 to 1188 g. Osteocyte lacunae densities from histological sections of the midshaft femur were evaluated against bone size and estimated body weight. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) and strongly negative relationships between Ot.Dn, femur size and estimated weight were found. Larger specimens were characterized by lower Ot.Dn, indicating that giant murines from Timor might have had a relatively slow pace of bone metabolic activity, consistent with predictions made by the island rule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justyna J Miszkiewicz
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Julien Louys
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Robin M D Beck
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, UK
| | - Patrick Mahoney
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | | | - Sue O’Connor
- Archaeology and Natural History, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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