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Kohli BA, Rowe RJ. Beyond guilds: the promise of continuous traits for mammalian functional diversity. J Mammal 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyz054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Brooks A Kohli
- Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
| | - Rebecca J Rowe
- Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
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2
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Giorello FM, Feijoo M, D'Elía G, Naya DE, Valdez L, Opazo JC, Lessa EP. An association between differential expression and genetic divergence in the Patagonian olive mouse (Abrothrix olivacea). Mol Ecol 2018; 27:3274-3286. [PMID: 29940092 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Revised: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Recent molecular studies have found striking differences between desert-adapted species and model mammals regarding water conservation. In particular, aquaporin 4, a classical gene involved in water regulation of model species, is absent or not expressed in the kidneys of desert-adapted species. To further understand the molecular response to water availability, we studied the Patagonian olive mouse Abrothrix olivacea, a species with an unusually broad ecological tolerance that exhibits a great urine concentration capability. The species is able to occupy both the arid Patagonian steppe and the Valdivian and Magellanic forests. We sampled 95 olive mouse specimens from four localities (two in the steppe and two in the forests) and analysed both phenotypic variables and transcriptomic data to investigate the response of this species to the contrasting environmental conditions. The relative size of the kidney and the ratio of urine to plasma concentrations were, as expected, negatively correlated with annual rainfall. Expression analyses uncovered nearly 3,000 genes that were differentially expressed between steppe and forest samples and indicated that this species resorts to the "classical" gene pathways for water regulation. Differential expression across biomes also involves genes that involved in immune and detoxification functions. Overall, genes that were differentially expressed showed a slight tendency to be more divergent and to display an excess of intermediate allele frequencies, relative to the remaining loci. Our results indicate that both differential expression in pathways involved in water conservation and geographical allelic variation are important in the occupation of contrasting habitats by the Patagonian olive mouse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Facundo M Giorello
- Departamento de Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Espacio de Biología Vegetal del Noreste, Centro Universitario de Tacuarembó, Universidad de la República, Tacuarembó, Uruguay
| | - Matias Feijoo
- Departamento de Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Guillermo D'Elía
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Daniel E Naya
- Departamento de Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Lourdes Valdez
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Juan C Opazo
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Enrique P Lessa
- Departamento de Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
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Cavieres G, Nuñez-Villegas M, Bozinovic F, Sabat P. Early life experience drives short-term acclimation of metabolic and osmoregulatory traits in the leaf-eared mouse. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:2626-2634. [PMID: 28495870 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.149997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
We studied the putative effect of early life experience on the physiological flexibility of metabolic and osmoregulatory traits in the leaf-eared mouse, Phyllotis darwini, an altricial rodent inhabiting seasonal Mediterranean environments. Adult individuals were collected in central Chile and maintained in breeding pairs. Pups were isolated after weaning and acclimated to different temperatures (cold or warm) and water availability (unrestricted and restricted) until adulthood. Subsequently, individuals were re-acclimated to the opposite treatment. Rodents reared in the warm and subjected to water restriction had lower basal metabolic rate (BMR), total evaporative water loss (TEWL) and body mass (Mb) compared with those developing in the cold treatment; nevertheless, individuals subjected to warm temperatures had greater relative medullary thickness (RMT) and urine concentrating ability (UCA). Cold-reared rodents re-acclimated to warm conditions exhibited physiological flexibility of metabolic traits; however, their osmoregulatory attributes did not vary. Conversely, warm-reared rodents re-acclimated to cold had reduced RMT and UCA, but the metabolic traits of these individuals did not change. These results suggest a trade-off between metabolic performance and renal capabilities that might hinder physiological acclimation. Our results support the hypothesis of ontogenetic dependence of short-term acclimation in osmoregulatory and metabolic traits in P. darwini.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grisel Cavieres
- Departamento de Ecología and Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 6513677 Santiago, Chile
| | - Monica Nuñez-Villegas
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, 7800003 Santiago, Chile
| | - Francisco Bozinovic
- Departamento de Ecología and Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 6513677 Santiago, Chile
| | - Pablo Sabat
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, 7800003 Santiago, Chile
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Kordonowy L, MacManes M. Characterizing the reproductive transcriptomic correlates of acute dehydration in males in the desert-adapted rodent, Peromyscus eremicus. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:473. [PMID: 28645248 PMCID: PMC5481918 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3840-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The understanding of genomic and physiological mechanisms related to how organisms living in extreme environments survive and reproduce is an outstanding question facing evolutionary and organismal biologists. One interesting example of adaptation is related to the survival of mammals in deserts, where extreme water limitation is common. Research on desert rodent adaptations has focused predominantly on adaptations related to surviving dehydration, while potential reproductive physiology adaptations for acute and chronic dehydration have been relatively neglected. This study aims to explore the reproductive consequences of acute dehydration by utilizing RNAseq data in the desert-specialized cactus mouse (Peromyscus eremicus). RESULTS We exposed 22 male cactus mice to either acute dehydration or control (fully hydrated) treatment conditions, quasimapped testes-derived reads to a cactus mouse testes transcriptome, and then evaluated patterns of differential transcript and gene expression. Following statistical evaluation with multiple analytical pipelines, nine genes were consistently differentially expressed between the hydrated and dehydrated mice. We hypothesized that male cactus mice would exhibit minimal reproductive responses to dehydration; therefore, this low number of differentially expressed genes between treatments aligns with current perceptions of this species' extreme desert specialization. However, these differentially expressed genes include Insulin-like 3 (Insl3), a regulator of male fertility and testes descent, as well as the solute carriers Slc45a3 and Slc38a5, which are membrane transport proteins that may facilitate osmoregulation. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that in male cactus mice, acute dehydration may be linked to reproductive modulation via Insl3, but not through gene expression differences in the subset of other a priori tested reproductive hormones. Although water availability is a reproductive cue in desert-rodents exposed to chronic drought, potential reproductive modification via Insl3 in response to acute water-limitation is a result which is unexpected in an animal capable of surviving and successfully reproducing year-round without available external water sources. Indeed, this work highlights the critical need for integrative research that examines every facet of organismal adaptation, particularly in light of global climate change, which is predicted, amongst other things, to increase climate variability, thereby exposing desert animals more frequently to the acute drought conditions explored here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Kordonowy
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Rudman Hall (MCBS), 46 College Road, Durham, 03824 NH USA
| | - Matthew MacManes
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Rudman Hall (MCBS), 46 College Road, Durham, 03824 NH USA
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McCue MD, Sandoval J, Beltran J, Gerson AR. Dehydration Causes Increased Reliance on Protein Oxidation in Mice: A Test of the Protein-for-Water Hypothesis in a Mammal. Physiol Biochem Zool 2017; 90:359-369. [DOI: 10.1086/690912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Castellar A, Bertoli PC, Galdino LH, Domeniconi RF, Cruz-Neto AP. Differences in physiological traits associated with water balance among rodents, and their relationship to tolerance of habitat fragmentation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 323:731-744. [PMID: 26349625 DOI: 10.1002/jez.1966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Revised: 07/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Physiological concepts and tools can help us to understand why organisms and populations respond to habitat fragmentation in the way they do, and allow us to determine the mechanisms or individual characteristics underlying this differential sensitivity. Here, we examine food intake, relative medullary thickness and distribution/expression of water channel aquaporin-1 in three species of South American rodents that have been reported to have different levels of tolerance to habitat fragmentation (Akodon montensis, Oligoryzomys nigripes, and Euryoryzomys russatus), using a classic water deprivation experiment to assess their abilities to cope with water shortage. We believe the mechanisms underlying this differential sensitivity are related to the organisms' capacities to maintain water balance, and therefore the species more tolerant to habitat fragmentation (A. montensis and O. nigripes) should have a higher capacity to maintain water balance. We found that A. montensis and O. nigripes were more tolerant to water deprivation than E. russatus, and this difference appears to be unrelated to differences in food ingestion rate. O. nigripes showed the highest values for RMT, followed by A. montensis and E. russatus. However all species showed RMT values that were 2.2% to 14.1% below the lower prediction limit when compared to other rodents through allometric relationships. Water deprivation seems to trigger changes in the distribution of aquaporin-1, mostly for O. nigripes and E. russatus, which may contribute to water balance maintenance. Our data suggest that these intrinsic physiological differences among these species could provide a mechanism for their differential tolerance of habitat fragmentation. J. Exp. Zool. 323A: 731-744, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Castellar
- Department of Zoology, Biosciences Institute, UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Paula Custódio Bertoli
- Department of Zoology, Biosciences Institute, UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Raquel Fantin Domeniconi
- Department of Anatomy, Biosciences Institute, UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ariovaldo Pereira Cruz-Neto
- Department of Zoology, Biosciences Institute, UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
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7
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Sobrero R, Inostroza-Michael O, Hernández CE, Ebensperger LA. Phylogeny modulates the effects of ecological conditions on group living across hystricognath rodents. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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8
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Tejo Riquelme PA, Diaz Isenrath GB, Andino N, Borghi CE. Renal intraspecific variation along an aridity gradient detected by new renal indices in a desert herbivorous rodent. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 321:348-56. [PMID: 24799362 DOI: 10.1002/jez.1863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2013] [Revised: 03/03/2014] [Accepted: 03/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Mammals that live in arid and semi-arid environments in South America present physiological mechanisms that enable them to conserve water. Body water is lost through the kidneys, lungs, skin, and intestines. Regarding renal adaptation for water conservation, several indices have been used to estimate the capacity of the kidneys to produce a maximum urine concentration. Most studies were conducted at an inter-specific level, with only few performed at the intraspecific level. In this work, we compare renal function and morphology among five populations of Southern mountain cavy, Microcavia australis, present along an aridity gradient. We hypothesized that individuals from drier zones would present morphological and functional renal modifications that imply a greater capability to conserve body water. These features were studied considering the classical indices (RMT, PMT, PMA, and RMA) and three new indices that consider area measurements; the latter showed to be more adequate to reflect intraspecific differences. Our results suggest that the morphological modifications of kidneys, that is, the greater areas of renal inner medulla, would be related to the aridity gradient where populations of Southern mountain cavy occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia A Tejo Riquelme
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Rivadavia, San Juan, Argentina
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Hurley MA, Hebblewhite M, Gaillard JM, Dray S, Taylor KA, Smith WK, Zager P, Bonenfant C. Functional analysis of normalized difference vegetation index curves reveals overwinter mule deer survival is driven by both spring and autumn phenology. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2014; 369:20130196. [PMID: 24733951 PMCID: PMC3983931 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Large herbivore populations respond strongly to remotely sensed measures of primary productivity. Whereas most studies in seasonal environments have focused on the effects of spring plant phenology on juvenile survival, recent studies demonstrated that autumn nutrition also plays a crucial role. We tested for both direct and indirect (through body mass) effects of spring and autumn phenology on winter survival of 2315 mule deer fawns across a wide range of environmental conditions in Idaho, USA. We first performed a functional analysis that identified spring and autumn as the key periods for structuring the among-population and among-year variation of primary production (approximated from 1 km Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)) along the growing season. A path analysis showed that early winter precipitation and direct and indirect effects of spring and autumn NDVI functional components accounted for 45% of observed variation in overwinter survival. The effect size of autumn phenology on body mass was about twice that of spring phenology, while direct effects of phenology on survival were similar between spring and autumn. We demonstrate that the effects of plant phenology vary across ecosystems, and that in semi-arid systems, autumn may be more important than spring for overwinter survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Hurley
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game, , Salmon, ID, USA
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Rezende EL, Diniz-Filho JAF. Phylogenetic analyses: comparing species to infer adaptations and physiological mechanisms. Compr Physiol 2013; 2:639-74. [PMID: 23728983 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c100079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Comparisons among species have been a standard tool in animal physiology to understand how organisms function and adapt to their surrounding environment. During the last two decades, conceptual and methodological advances from different fields, including evolutionary biology and systematics, have revolutionized the way comparative analyses are performed, resulting in the advent of modern phylogenetic statistical methods. This development stems from the realization that conventional analytical methods assume that observations are statistically independent, which is not the case for comparative data because species often resemble each other due to shared ancestry. By taking evolutionary history explicitly into consideration, phylogenetic statistical methods can account for the confounding effects of shared ancestry in interspecific comparisons, improving the reliability of standard approaches such as regressions or correlations in comparative analyses. Importantly, these methods have also enabled researchers to address entirely new evolutionary questions, such as the historical sequence of events that resulted in current patterns of form and function, which can only be studied with a phylogenetic perspective. Here, we provide an overview of phylogenetic approaches and their importance for studying the evolution of physiological processes and mechanisms. We discuss the conceptual framework underlying these methods, and explain when and how phylogenetic information should be employed. We then outline the difficulties and limitations inherent to comparative approaches and discuss potential problems researchers may encounter when designing a comparative study. These issues are illustrated with examples from the literature in which the incorporation of phylogenetic information has been useful, or even crucial, for inferences on how species evolve and adapt to their surrounding environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico L Rezende
- Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
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Ferrari M, Carlos da Silva WA, Monteiro RV. Ultrasonographic Features of the Chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera) Kidney. J Exot Pet Med 2013. [DOI: 10.1053/j.jepm.2013.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Ojeda RA, Tabeni S, Corbalán V. Mammals of the Monte Desert: from regional to local assemblages. J Mammal 2011. [DOI: 10.1644/10-mamm-s-352.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Sobrero R, Campos VE, Giannoni SM, Ebensperger LA. Octomys mimax (Rodentia: Octodontidae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1644/853.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Rezende EL, Hammond KA, Chappell MA. Cold acclimation in Peromyscus: individual variation and sex effects in maximum and daily metabolism, organ mass and body composition. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009; 212:2795-802. [PMID: 19684213 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.032789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We studied metabolic and organ mass responses to thermal acclimation (7 weeks at 5 degrees C or 23 degrees C) in deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus. Cold acclimation resulted in significantly higher maximal oxygen consumption in thermogenesis (V(O(2)max)) and daily mean oxygen consumption (V(O(2)mean)), an increase in the mass of most visceral organs, a lower absolute body fat and a marginally significant increase in hematocrit. The mass of digestive organs and body fat content differed significantly between sexes. Acclimation effects on fat content were more pronounced in females. Variation in heart and lung mass was positively correlated with V(O(2)max) and V(O(2)mean), while body fat content was negatively correlated with both traits. Nonetheless, a large fraction of the metabolic difference between cold- and warm-acclimated groups remained unexplained. Associations between traits at lower levels of biological organization measured here and whole-organism energetics remained consistent across acclimation temperatures, except for the correlation between kidney mass and V(O(2)mean), which was positive and significant in cold acclimation and negligible following warm acclimation. We conclude that: (1) V(O(2)max) and V(O(2)mean) share a common physiological basis that remains overall the same across acclimation regimes; (2) changes in these traits are associated primarily with changes in heart mass; and (3) male and female deer mice respond differently to thermal acclimation, possibly due to differences in reproductive allocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico L Rezende
- Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Spain.
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Coleman JC, Downs CT. Variation in urine concentrating ability and water balance of the black-tailed tree rat Thallomys nigricauda, along an aridity gradient. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2009; 154:508-13. [PMID: 19703577 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2009.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2009] [Revised: 08/18/2009] [Accepted: 08/18/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Mechanisms behind variation in physiological traits may assist in explaining how certain traits have evolved. The ability of mammals to concentrate urine has been seen as an adaptation to xeric environments. Urine osmolality and relative medullary thickness (RMT) are two indices which indicate urine concentrating powers. In addition, mammals living in xeric regions have lower water turnover rates (WTR) than their mesic counterparts. The RMT, urine concentrating ability (UCA) and WTR of the Black-tailed Tree Rat, Thallomys nigricauda, were investigated at three study sites along an aridity gradient. We investigated the extent to which these traits are influenced by evolutionary adaptation and/or phenotypic flexibility. There was no significant difference in RMT between sites and no difference in osmolalities when site and season were taken into account. In addition, there was no significant effect of site and season on WTR. This suggests that these traits might have a genetic basis, and reflect an evolutionary adaptation. Lack of differences in the renal traits in T. nigricauda across their range may be interpreted as lack of phenotypic flexibility. However, as a consequence of the degree of individual variation in the parameters measured there appears to be phenotypic flexibility with individuals responding to their specific conditions. This has positive implications for the survival of the species in the light of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- J C Coleman
- School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Pietermaritzburg, Scottsville 3209, South Africa
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