BMC Zoology最新文献

Background: Body size has traditionally been regarded as a key predictor of home-range extent. However, it remains unclear whether habitat specialisation can alter the expected allometric relationship between body size and home range. Crevice-dwelling lizards of the genus Xenosaurus provide an excellent system for addressing this question due to their extremely restricted habitat use. Using Bayesian generalised linear models-which allow explicit comparison of alternative hypotheses-we focused on (I) characterising the spatial behaviour of X. platyceps, (II) testing whether the home range of X. platyceps deviates from allometric expectations within a comparative dataset of 100 lizard species, and (III) evaluating whether the thermal environment helps explain its reduced movement.

Results: We report one of the smallest and most temporally consistent home ranges documented for an adult lizard. It was observed in a female X. platyceps that remained in the same crevice for more than 43 months, with an estimated minimum home range of 0.014 m². Bayesian allometric analyses showed that the observed value was over two orders of magnitude smaller than predictions based on body-size allometry. Thermal modelling revealed no differences between body, ambient and crevice temperatures. Moreover, body temperature was best explained by crevice temperature. These results indicate a thermally homogeneous microhabitat and thermoconforming behaviour. This pattern may help explain the reduced movement observed in X. platyceps.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that, in species with extreme habitat specialisation, home-range extent may be better explained by environmental stability and foraging strategy than by the classical body-size relationship. These results highlight the potential for tight microhabitat coupling to decouple spatial use from allometric expectations. Moreover, because microhabitat specialists are particularly vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and refuge loss, it is essential to consider spatial use patterns when assessing conservation status and designing management strategies.

Background: The wild camel (Camelus ferus) is a globally endangered species, and China has the largest number of wild camels. To determine the current level of genetic diversity of wild camels in various protected areas in China, we collected 30 samples of wild camel feces or tissue (individuals that had died naturally) from the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve, the Annanba Reserve, and the Wuwei Endangered Animal Protection Center.

Results: We obtained mitochondrial CYTB and D-loop sequences of the wild camels and conducted various genetic diversity analyses. The level of genetic diversity among the three groups of wild camels was in the order Lop Nur > Wuwei > Annanba. Three phylogenetic tree (NJ, BI, and ML) using the sequences of both genes indicated that the Annanba samples and some individuals from Lop Nur belonged to the same clade.

Conclusions: Our findings reveal a distinct genetic structure among the reserves and underscore that, despite conservation successes in restoring population numbers, targeted genetic management is crucial to mitigate the risks of genetic erosion and preserve the long-term evolutionary potential of this critically endangered species.

In this study, exons 1, 2, and 3 of the vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1) gene, which has been used to indicate anticoagulant rodenticide resistance, were analyzed to investigate whether it is an effective marker for the differentiation of black rats (Rattus rattus Linnaeus, 1758) and brown rats (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout, 1769) distributed in Anatolia. Although cranial and karyological features distinguish these rat species, morphological discrimination is difficult due to the color variations. In this context, on the basis of the data obtained from genetic diversity values, genetic distance values, Bayesian MCMC dendrograms and Median-joining TCS networks, the Exon 3 region of the VKORC1 gene was determined to function in the discrimination of black and brown rat samples, whereas the Exons 1 and 2 regions did not separate the rat samples via phylogenetic approaches. The results proved that the sequences of the VKORC1 gene in the Exon 3 region are useful as a genetic marker alongside mitochondrial and other nuclear markers for identifying both rat species.