Frederik Van de Perre, Michael R Willig, Steven J Presley, Herwig Leirs, Erik Verheyen
Interspecific competition, environmental filtering, or spatial variation in productivity can contribute to positive or negative spatial covariance in the abundances of species across ensembles (i.e., groups of interacting species defined by geography, resource use, and taxonomy). In contrast, density compensation should give rise to a negative relationship between ecomorphological similarity and abundance of species within ensembles. We evaluated (1) whether positive or negative covariances characterized the pairwise relationships of 21 species of Congolese shrew, and (2) whether density compensation characterized the structure of each of 36 Congolese shrew ensembles, and did so based on the abundances or biomasses of species. In general, positive covariance is more common than negative covariance based on considerations of abundance or biomass, suggesting dominant roles for environmental filtering and productivity. Nonetheless, negative covariance is more common for ecomorphologically similar species, suggesting a dominant role for competition within functional groups. Effects of abundance or biomass compensation, via pairwise or diffuse competitive interactions, were detected less often than expected by chance, suggesting that interspecific competition is not the dominant mechanism structuring these ensembles. Effects of competition may be balanced by responses to variation in resource abundance among sites in a landscape or among niche spaces within sites. Future studies of compensatory effects should incorporate considerations of heterogeneity in the abundance and distribution of resources in ecological space to better isolate the effects of competition and resource abundance, which can have opposing effects on community structure.
{"title":"The structure of Congolese shrew ensembles: competition and spatial variation in resource abundance","authors":"Frederik Van de Perre, Michael R Willig, Steven J Presley, Herwig Leirs, Erik Verheyen","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae032","url":null,"abstract":"Interspecific competition, environmental filtering, or spatial variation in productivity can contribute to positive or negative spatial covariance in the abundances of species across ensembles (i.e., groups of interacting species defined by geography, resource use, and taxonomy). In contrast, density compensation should give rise to a negative relationship between ecomorphological similarity and abundance of species within ensembles. We evaluated (1) whether positive or negative covariances characterized the pairwise relationships of 21 species of Congolese shrew, and (2) whether density compensation characterized the structure of each of 36 Congolese shrew ensembles, and did so based on the abundances or biomasses of species. In general, positive covariance is more common than negative covariance based on considerations of abundance or biomass, suggesting dominant roles for environmental filtering and productivity. Nonetheless, negative covariance is more common for ecomorphologically similar species, suggesting a dominant role for competition within functional groups. Effects of abundance or biomass compensation, via pairwise or diffuse competitive interactions, were detected less often than expected by chance, suggesting that interspecific competition is not the dominant mechanism structuring these ensembles. Effects of competition may be balanced by responses to variation in resource abundance among sites in a landscape or among niche spaces within sites. Future studies of compensatory effects should incorporate considerations of heterogeneity in the abundance and distribution of resources in ecological space to better isolate the effects of competition and resource abundance, which can have opposing effects on community structure.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140608955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Angelina Gonçalves, Eva K Nóbrega, Hugo Rebelo, Vanessa A Mata, Ricardo Rocha
Understanding the trophic structure of species assemblages is crucial in order to comprehend how syntropic species coexist in space and time. Bats are the second most taxonomically diverse group of mammals and display a wide range of dietary strategies. Due to their ability to disperse over water, ca. 60% of all extant bat species occur on islands and for the most part their interspecific ecological interactions are poorly known. Using DNA metabarcoding, this study offers the first insights into the diet of Macaronesian bats by providing a holistic overview of prey consumed by all 3 bat species found on Madeira Island (Pipistrellus maderensis, Nyctalus leisleri verrucosus, and Plecotus austriacus) and investigating both interspecific (between P. maderensis and N. l. verrucosus) and intraspecific (between female and male N. l. verrucosus) dietary differences. We identified a total of 110 species of arthropod prey in the diet of the 3 bat species, including multiple agriculture and forestry pest species, a human disease-relevant species, and numerous taxa not previously recorded on the island. Lepidoptera was the primary prey order for all 3 bat species. The diet composition of P. maderensis and N. l. verrucosus differed significantly, with P. maderensis consuming more Diptera and multiple prey taxa not found in the diet of N. l. verucosus. Moreover, male N. l. verrucosus exhibited a broader niche breadth than females. This study is among the first to use DNA metabarcoding to evaluate the diet of insular bats and thus greatly advances knowledge regarding the trophic ecology and pest suppression services of these poorly-known mammals.
了解物种集合的营养结构对于理解综合物种如何在空间和时间上共存至关重要。蝙蝠是哺乳动物中第二大分类最多样化的类群,表现出多种多样的饮食策略。由于它们能够在水上散布,现存的蝙蝠物种中约有 60% 出现在岛屿上,而对于它们种间的生态相互作用,人们大多知之甚少。本研究利用 DNA 代谢编码首次对马卡罗内斯蝙蝠的饮食进行了深入研究,全面概述了在马德拉岛发现的所有 3 种蝙蝠(Pipistrellus maderensis、Nyctalus leisleri verrucosus 和 Plecotus austriacus)所捕食的猎物,并调查了种间(P. maderensis 和 N. l. verrucosus 之间)和种内(雌性和雄性 N. l. verrucosus 之间)的饮食差异。我们在这3种蝙蝠的食物中总共发现了110种节肢动物猎物,包括多种农业和林业害虫物种、一种与人类疾病相关的物种以及许多以前在岛上没有记录的分类群。鳞翅目是所有 3 种蝙蝠的主要猎物。P. maderensis 和 N. l. verrucosus 的食物组成有显著差异,P. maderensis 消耗更多的双翅目昆虫和 N. l. verucosus 食物中没有的多种猎物类群。此外,雄性N. l. verrucosus比雌性表现出更广泛的生态位宽度。这项研究是首次利用DNA代谢编码来评估海岛蝙蝠食性的研究之一,从而大大增进了人们对这些鲜为人知的哺乳动物的营养生态学和害虫抑制服务的了解。
{"title":"A metabarcoding assessment of the diet of the insectivorous bats of Madeira Island, Macaronesia","authors":"Angelina Gonçalves, Eva K Nóbrega, Hugo Rebelo, Vanessa A Mata, Ricardo Rocha","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae033","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the trophic structure of species assemblages is crucial in order to comprehend how syntropic species coexist in space and time. Bats are the second most taxonomically diverse group of mammals and display a wide range of dietary strategies. Due to their ability to disperse over water, ca. 60% of all extant bat species occur on islands and for the most part their interspecific ecological interactions are poorly known. Using DNA metabarcoding, this study offers the first insights into the diet of Macaronesian bats by providing a holistic overview of prey consumed by all 3 bat species found on Madeira Island (Pipistrellus maderensis, Nyctalus leisleri verrucosus, and Plecotus austriacus) and investigating both interspecific (between P. maderensis and N. l. verrucosus) and intraspecific (between female and male N. l. verrucosus) dietary differences. We identified a total of 110 species of arthropod prey in the diet of the 3 bat species, including multiple agriculture and forestry pest species, a human disease-relevant species, and numerous taxa not previously recorded on the island. Lepidoptera was the primary prey order for all 3 bat species. The diet composition of P. maderensis and N. l. verrucosus differed significantly, with P. maderensis consuming more Diptera and multiple prey taxa not found in the diet of N. l. verucosus. Moreover, male N. l. verrucosus exhibited a broader niche breadth than females. This study is among the first to use DNA metabarcoding to evaluate the diet of insular bats and thus greatly advances knowledge regarding the trophic ecology and pest suppression services of these poorly-known mammals.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140570293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shannon L Hilty, Andrea R Litt, Bryce A Maxell, Claire N Gower, Robert A Garrott, Lauri Hanauska-Brown
Shelter is one critical aspect of an animal’s habitat, providing refuge from predators and weather, protection for offspring, and aiding in physiological homeostasis. During the day, bats find shelter in roosts—spaces created under tree bark, in tree cavities, or between rocks—after spending the night searching for food. Finding a roost with a microclimate that enables bats to remain in their thermoneutral zone could reduce energetic demands or allow bats to allocate energy to other activities such as reproduction and fighting disease. We aimed to characterize the structural features and microclimate (i.e., temperature) of roosts used by male Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) during the summer and determine whether bats select certain characteristics disproportionally to what is available at different spatial scales. During the summers of 2017 and 2018, we radio-tracked 34 male M. lucifugus in Lodgepole Pine-dominated forests. We located at least 1 roost for 20 individuals (average = 2.85 roosts/bat, range = 1 to 6). Although snags were available, most of the roosts were in rock features (86% in rocks, 14% in trees or snags). Male M. lucifugus were more likely to select rock roosts with less canopy closure that were closer to water compared to available roosts on the landscape. They also selected roosts in rock features occurring within larger areas of rock cover that had wider entrances and access to crevices that faced the sky; these roosts also had warmer microclimates relative to other locations available on the landscape. Crevices that allow the bat to bask in the sun and change locations within a roost, minimizing energy needed for active thermoregulation, could be very beneficial for individuals recovering from diseases such as white-nose syndrome. Our work indicates that rock features provide habitat for male M. lucifugus during summer; other studies have shown that bats roost in these features during autumn and winter, further supporting their importance. By protecting these important rock structures, managers can help bats meet their habitat needs throughout the year.
{"title":"Characterizing diurnal roosts of male Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) during summer","authors":"Shannon L Hilty, Andrea R Litt, Bryce A Maxell, Claire N Gower, Robert A Garrott, Lauri Hanauska-Brown","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae022","url":null,"abstract":"Shelter is one critical aspect of an animal’s habitat, providing refuge from predators and weather, protection for offspring, and aiding in physiological homeostasis. During the day, bats find shelter in roosts—spaces created under tree bark, in tree cavities, or between rocks—after spending the night searching for food. Finding a roost with a microclimate that enables bats to remain in their thermoneutral zone could reduce energetic demands or allow bats to allocate energy to other activities such as reproduction and fighting disease. We aimed to characterize the structural features and microclimate (i.e., temperature) of roosts used by male Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) during the summer and determine whether bats select certain characteristics disproportionally to what is available at different spatial scales. During the summers of 2017 and 2018, we radio-tracked 34 male M. lucifugus in Lodgepole Pine-dominated forests. We located at least 1 roost for 20 individuals (average = 2.85 roosts/bat, range = 1 to 6). Although snags were available, most of the roosts were in rock features (86% in rocks, 14% in trees or snags). Male M. lucifugus were more likely to select rock roosts with less canopy closure that were closer to water compared to available roosts on the landscape. They also selected roosts in rock features occurring within larger areas of rock cover that had wider entrances and access to crevices that faced the sky; these roosts also had warmer microclimates relative to other locations available on the landscape. Crevices that allow the bat to bask in the sun and change locations within a roost, minimizing energy needed for active thermoregulation, could be very beneficial for individuals recovering from diseases such as white-nose syndrome. Our work indicates that rock features provide habitat for male M. lucifugus during summer; other studies have shown that bats roost in these features during autumn and winter, further supporting their importance. By protecting these important rock structures, managers can help bats meet their habitat needs throughout the year.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140570472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shane D I Seheult, Raj Panchal, Alex V Borisenko, Patrick J Bennett, Paul A Faure
Individual marking techniques are critical for studying animals, especially in the wild. Current marking methods for bats (Order Chiroptera) have practical limitations and some can cause morbidity. We tested the p-Chip (p-Chip Corp.)—a miniaturized, laser light-activated microtransponder—as a prospective marking technique in a captive research colony of Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus). We assessed long-term readability and postimplantation effects of p-Chips injected subcutaneously above the second metacarpal (wing; n = 30) and the tibia (leg; n = 13 in both locations). Following implantation (Day 0), p-Chips were scanned with a hand-held ID reader (wand) on postimplantation days (PIDs) 1, 8, 15, 22, 32, 60, 74, 81, 88, 95, and over 1 year later (PID 464). For each trial, we recorded: (1) animal handling time; (2) scan time; (3) number of wand flashes; (4) p-Chip visibility; and (5) overall condition of the bat. Average scan times for p-Chips implanted in both the wing and leg increased over the duration of the study; however, the number of wand flashes decreased, suggesting that efficacy of p-Chip recording increased with user experience. Importantly, over 464 days both the visibility and readability of p-Chips in the wing remained high and superior to tags in the leg, establishing the second metacarpal as the preferred implantation site. Observed morbidity and mortality in captive bats with p-Chips was similar to baseline values for bats without these tags. Because scan efficiency on PID 464 was comparable with earlier days, this indicates that p-Chips implanted in the wing may be suitable as a long-term marking method. Our provisional results suggest that p-Chips are viable for extended field testing to see if they are suitable as an effective alternative to traditional methods to mark bats.
个体标记技术对于研究动物,尤其是野生动物至关重要。目前对蝙蝠(Chiroptera 目)的标记方法有其实际局限性,有些可能会导致发病。我们在大棕蝠(Eptesicus fuscus)的圈养研究群落中测试了 p 芯片(p-Chip 公司)--一种小型化的激光激活微转发器--作为一种前瞻性标记技术。我们评估了在第二掌骨(翅膀;n = 30)和胫骨(腿部;n = 13)上方皮下注射 p 芯片的长期可读性和植入后的效果。植入 p 芯片后(第 0 天),在植入后第 1、8、15、22、32、60、74、81、88、95 天和一年后(第 464 天)用手持式 ID 阅读器(魔棒)扫描 p 芯片。在每次试验中,我们都会记录:(1) 动物处理时间;(2) 扫描时间;(3) 魔棒闪烁次数;(4) p 芯片可见度;(5) 蝙蝠的整体状况。在研究过程中,植入翅膀和腿部的 p 芯片的平均扫描时间都有所增加;但闪烁棒的次数却有所减少,这表明随着用户经验的增加,p 芯片记录的效率也会提高。重要的是,在 464 天内,翅膀上 p 芯片的可见度和可读性仍然很高,优于腿部的标签,从而确定了第二掌骨是首选的植入部位。佩戴 p 芯片的人工饲养蝙蝠的发病率和死亡率与未佩戴这些标签的蝙蝠的基线值相似。由于 PID 464 的扫描效率与早期相当,这表明在翅膀上植入 p 芯片可能适合作为一种长期标记方法。我们的初步结果表明,p-芯片可以进行更长时间的实地测试,以确定其是否可以有效替代传统的蝙蝠标记方法。
{"title":"Scanning efficacy of p-Chips implanted in the wing and leg of the Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus)","authors":"Shane D I Seheult, Raj Panchal, Alex V Borisenko, Patrick J Bennett, Paul A Faure","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae030","url":null,"abstract":"Individual marking techniques are critical for studying animals, especially in the wild. Current marking methods for bats (Order Chiroptera) have practical limitations and some can cause morbidity. We tested the p-Chip (p-Chip Corp.)—a miniaturized, laser light-activated microtransponder—as a prospective marking technique in a captive research colony of Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus). We assessed long-term readability and postimplantation effects of p-Chips injected subcutaneously above the second metacarpal (wing; n = 30) and the tibia (leg; n = 13 in both locations). Following implantation (Day 0), p-Chips were scanned with a hand-held ID reader (wand) on postimplantation days (PIDs) 1, 8, 15, 22, 32, 60, 74, 81, 88, 95, and over 1 year later (PID 464). For each trial, we recorded: (1) animal handling time; (2) scan time; (3) number of wand flashes; (4) p-Chip visibility; and (5) overall condition of the bat. Average scan times for p-Chips implanted in both the wing and leg increased over the duration of the study; however, the number of wand flashes decreased, suggesting that efficacy of p-Chip recording increased with user experience. Importantly, over 464 days both the visibility and readability of p-Chips in the wing remained high and superior to tags in the leg, establishing the second metacarpal as the preferred implantation site. Observed morbidity and mortality in captive bats with p-Chips was similar to baseline values for bats without these tags. Because scan efficiency on PID 464 was comparable with earlier days, this indicates that p-Chips implanted in the wing may be suitable as a long-term marking method. Our provisional results suggest that p-Chips are viable for extended field testing to see if they are suitable as an effective alternative to traditional methods to mark bats.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140570641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The genus Ctenomys (Rodentia: Hystricomorpha) includes an impressive diversity of species, all of which have evolved in southern South America. The number of recognized species is currently approaching 70. During the last few decades, taxonomic revisions and new field collections have resulted in both the description of new species and the synonymization of others, suggesting that much of the alpha taxonomy of Ctenomys remains unresolved, particularly when considering the vast areas of distribution that are still unsampled. Both phylogeographic patterns and the fossil record suggest that the Andean Cordillera has played a critical role in the diversification of the genus. Building upon recent, intensive field sampling in the Andean and pre-Andean regions of southern Mendoza Province, I integrated molecular and morphological data to evaluate the taxonomic status of populations of Ctenomys in this region. These analyses revealed a taxonomically-diverse Ctenomys assemblage within which here I provide the description for a new species. Available data indicate that this new species is endemic to southern portions of Mendoza Province, a geographic region that represents the confluence of 3 lineages ‘magellanicus,’ ‘maulinus,’ and ‘mendocinus,’ and that it is thus an area of particular importance for the conservation of these rodents.
{"title":"A new species of Ctenomys (Rodentia, Ctenomyidae) from the pre-Andean regions of Mendoza Province, Argentina","authors":"Mauro N Tammone","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae024","url":null,"abstract":"The genus Ctenomys (Rodentia: Hystricomorpha) includes an impressive diversity of species, all of which have evolved in southern South America. The number of recognized species is currently approaching 70. During the last few decades, taxonomic revisions and new field collections have resulted in both the description of new species and the synonymization of others, suggesting that much of the alpha taxonomy of Ctenomys remains unresolved, particularly when considering the vast areas of distribution that are still unsampled. Both phylogeographic patterns and the fossil record suggest that the Andean Cordillera has played a critical role in the diversification of the genus. Building upon recent, intensive field sampling in the Andean and pre-Andean regions of southern Mendoza Province, I integrated molecular and morphological data to evaluate the taxonomic status of populations of Ctenomys in this region. These analyses revealed a taxonomically-diverse Ctenomys assemblage within which here I provide the description for a new species. Available data indicate that this new species is endemic to southern portions of Mendoza Province, a geographic region that represents the confluence of 3 lineages ‘magellanicus,’ ‘maulinus,’ and ‘mendocinus,’ and that it is thus an area of particular importance for the conservation of these rodents.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"206 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140570301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David J Hafner, Jessica E Light, Sean A Neiswenter, Krymsen L Hernandez, Brett R Riddle
Three species of pocket mice (Chaetodipus artus, C. goldmani, and C. pernix) characterize the Sinaloan subregion of the Sonoran regional desert. They occur primarily in Sinaloan thornscrub and monsoon (dry deciduous) forest biotic communities, both of which have suffered from agricultural conversion. Sinaloan thornscrub occurs along the coastal plains of southern Sonora and Sinaloa, México, and grades into monsoon forest in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental. We describe the geographical and ecological distributions of the 3 species of Chaetodipus, evaluate evolutionary relationships within each species based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data, and compare these to previously described phenetic, allozymic, and chromosomal variation. We elevate the subspecies of C. pernix to full species, delineate evolutionary units within C. goldmani and C. artus that we formally recognize as subspecies, and evaluate the conservation status of all 3 species of Chaetodipus.
三种袋鼠(Chaetodipus artus、C. goldmani 和 C. pernix)是索诺拉地区沙漠锡那罗安亚区的特征。它们主要分布在锡那罗安荆棘灌丛和季风(干燥落叶)森林生物群落中,这两种生物群落都受到了农业转化的影响。锡那罗刺灌丛分布在墨西哥索诺拉州南部和锡那罗亚州的沿海平原,在西马德雷山脉山麓则逐渐变成季风森林。我们描述了 Chaetodipus 的 3 个物种的地理分布和生态分布,根据线粒体 DNA 序列数据评估了每个物种内部的进化关系,并将这些数据与之前描述的表型、同工酶和染色体变异进行了比较。我们将C. pernix的亚种提升为完全种,在C. goldmani和C. artus中划分了进化单元,并正式将其认定为亚种,同时评估了所有3个Chaetodipus物种的保护状况。
{"title":"Phylogeography, systematics, and conservation status of pocket mice (Chaetodipus) of the Sonoran–Sinaloan thorn forest","authors":"David J Hafner, Jessica E Light, Sean A Neiswenter, Krymsen L Hernandez, Brett R Riddle","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyad125","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyad125","url":null,"abstract":"Three species of pocket mice (Chaetodipus artus, C. goldmani, and C. pernix) characterize the Sinaloan subregion of the Sonoran regional desert. They occur primarily in Sinaloan thornscrub and monsoon (dry deciduous) forest biotic communities, both of which have suffered from agricultural conversion. Sinaloan thornscrub occurs along the coastal plains of southern Sonora and Sinaloa, México, and grades into monsoon forest in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental. We describe the geographical and ecological distributions of the 3 species of Chaetodipus, evaluate evolutionary relationships within each species based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data, and compare these to previously described phenetic, allozymic, and chromosomal variation. We elevate the subspecies of C. pernix to full species, delineate evolutionary units within C. goldmani and C. artus that we formally recognize as subspecies, and evaluate the conservation status of all 3 species of Chaetodipus.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"121 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140570296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christoffel J de Lange, Olivier Bonnet, Adrian M Shrader
Within African savannas, seasonal rainfall influences the survival of mammalian grazers by determining the availability and quality of food. The strength of these effects may, however, vary depending on the availability of reserve and buffer resources within the home range of an individual. From 1999 to 2019, 24% of the white rhino (Ceratotherium simum simum) calves born in Ithala Game Reserve died without a known cause. To explore this, we investigated the impacts of seasonal rainfall on calf survival, and whether these relationships were modified by the availability of woodlands (i.e., reserve resources) and bunch grasslands (i.e., buffer resources) within the home ranges established by the mothers. We found that nearly all of the deceased calves died during their first dry season after weaning had commenced. The likelihood of a calf surviving this period was positively influenced by rainfall during the dry season and negatively influenced by its duration. However, these effects were more pronounced when the availability of woodlands within the home range of the mother was high. Ultimately, calf deaths were caused by a combination of low dry season rainfall, long dry seasons, and the selection of home ranges with insufficient bunch grasslands by some mothers. With climate change models predicting increased dry season durations and a reduction in dry season rainfall, our results highlight future challenges for the conservation of white rhinos and other large herbivores.
{"title":"Effect of rainfall on white rhino calf survival depends on home range choice of the mother","authors":"Christoffel J de Lange, Olivier Bonnet, Adrian M Shrader","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae028","url":null,"abstract":"Within African savannas, seasonal rainfall influences the survival of mammalian grazers by determining the availability and quality of food. The strength of these effects may, however, vary depending on the availability of reserve and buffer resources within the home range of an individual. From 1999 to 2019, 24% of the white rhino (Ceratotherium simum simum) calves born in Ithala Game Reserve died without a known cause. To explore this, we investigated the impacts of seasonal rainfall on calf survival, and whether these relationships were modified by the availability of woodlands (i.e., reserve resources) and bunch grasslands (i.e., buffer resources) within the home ranges established by the mothers. We found that nearly all of the deceased calves died during their first dry season after weaning had commenced. The likelihood of a calf surviving this period was positively influenced by rainfall during the dry season and negatively influenced by its duration. However, these effects were more pronounced when the availability of woodlands within the home range of the mother was high. Ultimately, calf deaths were caused by a combination of low dry season rainfall, long dry seasons, and the selection of home ranges with insufficient bunch grasslands by some mothers. With climate change models predicting increased dry season durations and a reduction in dry season rainfall, our results highlight future challenges for the conservation of white rhinos and other large herbivores.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"117 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140570289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Woei Jiun Tan, Scott Carver, Alynn M Martin, Nicholas M Fountain-Jones, Kirstin M Proft, Christopher P Burridge
Dispersal is an important process that is widely studied across species, and it can be influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors commonly assessed include the sex and age of individuals, while landscape features are frequently-tested extrinsic factors. Here, we investigated the effects of both sex and landscape composition and configuration on genetic distances among bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus)—one of the largest fossorial mammals in the world and subject to habitat fragmentation, threats from disease, and human persecution including culling as an agricultural pest. We analyzed a data set comprising 74 Tasmanian individuals (30 males and 44 females), genotyped for 9,064 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We tested for sex-biased dispersal and the influence of landscape features on genetic distances including land use, water, vegetation, elevation, and topographic ruggedness. We detected significant female-biased dispersal, which may be related to females donating burrows to their offspring due to the energetic cost of excavation, given their large body sizes. Land use, waterbodies, and elevation appeared to be significant landscape predictors of genetic distance. Land use potentially reflects land clearing and persecution over the last 200 years. If our findings based on a limited sample size are valid, retention and restoration of nonanthropogenic landscapes in which wombats can move and burrow may be important for gene flow and maintenance of genetic diversity.
{"title":"Sex and landscape influence spatial genetic variation in a large fossorial mammal, the Bare-nosed Wombat (Vombatus ursinus)","authors":"Woei Jiun Tan, Scott Carver, Alynn M Martin, Nicholas M Fountain-Jones, Kirstin M Proft, Christopher P Burridge","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae017","url":null,"abstract":"Dispersal is an important process that is widely studied across species, and it can be influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors commonly assessed include the sex and age of individuals, while landscape features are frequently-tested extrinsic factors. Here, we investigated the effects of both sex and landscape composition and configuration on genetic distances among bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus)—one of the largest fossorial mammals in the world and subject to habitat fragmentation, threats from disease, and human persecution including culling as an agricultural pest. We analyzed a data set comprising 74 Tasmanian individuals (30 males and 44 females), genotyped for 9,064 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We tested for sex-biased dispersal and the influence of landscape features on genetic distances including land use, water, vegetation, elevation, and topographic ruggedness. We detected significant female-biased dispersal, which may be related to females donating burrows to their offspring due to the energetic cost of excavation, given their large body sizes. Land use, waterbodies, and elevation appeared to be significant landscape predictors of genetic distance. Land use potentially reflects land clearing and persecution over the last 200 years. If our findings based on a limited sample size are valid, retention and restoration of nonanthropogenic landscapes in which wombats can move and burrow may be important for gene flow and maintenance of genetic diversity.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"54 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140313626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Diurnal flight activity in otherwise strictly nocturnal bats has typically been linked to random disturbance from day roosts, an urgent need to balance food shortage caused by adverse weather during nighttime, or the absence of diurnal predators. However, migration may be another reason why bats fly during daylight, at least in some areas. Using community-science data collection, we obtained more than 500 records of over 15,000 bats displaying diurnal flight activity, suggesting that it is relatively common in Central Europe. The vast majority of sightings were of common noctules (Nyctalus noctula), with most records concentrated in spring and autumn. The seasonal dynamics of diurnal flights exactly coincided with migratory periods, and directional movements in autumn—when diurnal activity was most frequent and included highest numbers of observed bats—suggest that the behavior may ultimately be linked to migration ecology. The highest frequency of diurnal flights in autumn coincided with highest body mass in the studied territory, thereby refuting the hypothesis of early roost emergence due to poor body condition or decreased predation risk related to increased maneuverability. A shift from strictly nocturnal to partly diurnal activity may balance increased energetic demands imposed by migration, which is temporally synchronized with periods of cold nights when prey density is limited. Common noctule diurnal activity during the migratory period may be beneficial as they can acquire energy by foraging on daily abundant prey while saving nighttime for long endurance flights—alternatively, they may forage on the way to their migratory destination, thereby saving time. Predation risk from diurnal predators may be significantly decreased by choosing high flight altitudes, as observed particularly during autumn. We suggest that observations on the geographic distribution of diurnally flying noctules may help identify migration corridors.
{"title":"Diurnal activity in an insectivorous bat during migration period","authors":"Radek K Lučan, Tomáš Bartonička","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae006","url":null,"abstract":"Diurnal flight activity in otherwise strictly nocturnal bats has typically been linked to random disturbance from day roosts, an urgent need to balance food shortage caused by adverse weather during nighttime, or the absence of diurnal predators. However, migration may be another reason why bats fly during daylight, at least in some areas. Using community-science data collection, we obtained more than 500 records of over 15,000 bats displaying diurnal flight activity, suggesting that it is relatively common in Central Europe. The vast majority of sightings were of common noctules (Nyctalus noctula), with most records concentrated in spring and autumn. The seasonal dynamics of diurnal flights exactly coincided with migratory periods, and directional movements in autumn—when diurnal activity was most frequent and included highest numbers of observed bats—suggest that the behavior may ultimately be linked to migration ecology. The highest frequency of diurnal flights in autumn coincided with highest body mass in the studied territory, thereby refuting the hypothesis of early roost emergence due to poor body condition or decreased predation risk related to increased maneuverability. A shift from strictly nocturnal to partly diurnal activity may balance increased energetic demands imposed by migration, which is temporally synchronized with periods of cold nights when prey density is limited. Common noctule diurnal activity during the migratory period may be beneficial as they can acquire energy by foraging on daily abundant prey while saving nighttime for long endurance flights—alternatively, they may forage on the way to their migratory destination, thereby saving time. Predation risk from diurnal predators may be significantly decreased by choosing high flight altitudes, as observed particularly during autumn. We suggest that observations on the geographic distribution of diurnally flying noctules may help identify migration corridors.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"158 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140204699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vera de Ferran, Henrique Vieira Figueiró, Cristine Silveira Trinca, Pablo César Hernández-Romero, Gustavo P Lorenzana, Carla Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, Klaus-Peter Koepfli, Eduardo Eizirik
Cryptic biodiversity continues to be revealed worldwide, even in apparently well-known groups such as carnivorans. The Neotropical Otter (Lontra longicaudis) presents shape variation in its nose pad, a character that has been used to differentiate species in this group. Based on this, 3 subspecies are recognized: L. l. annectens (Mexico, Central America, and South America west of the Andes), L. l. enudris (Amazon and Orinoco basins), and L. l. longicaudis (Paraná basin and remaining distribution). Previous studies partially supported their distinctness based on mitochondrial DNA markers, morphometrics, and ecological niche modeling. We analyzed genome-wide nuclear markers (ultraconserved elements) of 29 L. longicaudis individuals across the species’ range to assess its population structure. Phylogenomic analysis recovered L. longicaudis as paraphyletic with robust support, with 1 clade comprising samples from Mexico and Colombia (trans-Andean populations) and another encompassing the remaining samples (cis-Andean populations), which grouped with 2 other South American species, L. felina and L. provocax. Principal component and admixture analyses strongly differentiated the 2 main L. longicaudis groups, and distinguished the Amazonian individuals from the remaining cis-Andean samples. Our results support the recognition of trans-Andean populations of L. longicaudis as a distinct otter species, which should be recognized as Lontra annectens.
隐蔽的生物多样性在全球范围内不断被揭示,即使是在食肉动物等众所周知的类群中也是如此。新热带水獭(Lontra longicaudis)的鼻垫形状各异,这一特征已被用来区分该类群的物种。据此,该物种被认定为 3 个亚种:l.annectens(墨西哥、中美洲和安第斯山脉以西的南美洲)、L. l. enudris(亚马逊河和奥里诺科河流域)和 L. l. longicaudis(巴拉那河流域和其余分布区)。以前的研究基于线粒体 DNA 标记、形态计量学和生态位模型,部分支持了它们的区别。我们分析了该物种分布区 29 个 L. longicaudis 个体的全基因组核标记(超保守元素),以评估其种群结构。系统发生组分析表明,L. longicaudis是一个支持率很高的旁系物种,其中一个支系包括墨西哥和哥伦比亚的样本(跨安第斯种群),另一个支系包括其余样本(顺安第斯种群),它们与另外两个南美洲物种L. felina和L. provocax同属一个支系。主成分和混杂分析强烈区分了两个主要的 L. longicaudis 群体,并将亚马逊河流域的个体与其余的顺安第斯山脉样本区分开来。我们的研究结果支持将跨安第斯地区的 L. longicaudis 种群视为一个独特的水獭物种,应将其认定为 Lontra annectens。
{"title":"Genome-wide data support recognition of an additional species of Neotropical river otter (Mammalia, Mustelidae, Lutrinae)","authors":"Vera de Ferran, Henrique Vieira Figueiró, Cristine Silveira Trinca, Pablo César Hernández-Romero, Gustavo P Lorenzana, Carla Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, Klaus-Peter Koepfli, Eduardo Eizirik","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae009","url":null,"abstract":"Cryptic biodiversity continues to be revealed worldwide, even in apparently well-known groups such as carnivorans. The Neotropical Otter (Lontra longicaudis) presents shape variation in its nose pad, a character that has been used to differentiate species in this group. Based on this, 3 subspecies are recognized: L. l. annectens (Mexico, Central America, and South America west of the Andes), L. l. enudris (Amazon and Orinoco basins), and L. l. longicaudis (Paraná basin and remaining distribution). Previous studies partially supported their distinctness based on mitochondrial DNA markers, morphometrics, and ecological niche modeling. We analyzed genome-wide nuclear markers (ultraconserved elements) of 29 L. longicaudis individuals across the species’ range to assess its population structure. Phylogenomic analysis recovered L. longicaudis as paraphyletic with robust support, with 1 clade comprising samples from Mexico and Colombia (trans-Andean populations) and another encompassing the remaining samples (cis-Andean populations), which grouped with 2 other South American species, L. felina and L. provocax. Principal component and admixture analyses strongly differentiated the 2 main L. longicaudis groups, and distinguished the Amazonian individuals from the remaining cis-Andean samples. Our results support the recognition of trans-Andean populations of L. longicaudis as a distinct otter species, which should be recognized as Lontra annectens.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140204486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}