1
|
Sheard C, Skinner N, Caro T. The Evolution of Rodent Tail Morphology. Am Nat 2024; 203:629-643. [PMID: 38781527 DOI: 10.1086/729751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
AbstractPopulation-level variation in rodent tail structures has been variously attributed to facilitating social communication, locomotion, thermoregulation, and predator avoidance. Little is known, however, about the applicability of these ecological and social correlates to explaining the tremendous interspecific diversity of this appendage. To investigate the potential drivers of rodent tail morphology at a macroevolutionary level, we first carefully reviewed the literature and constructed a list of major hypotheses regarding this variation. We then compiled a database of 11 different tail traits related to length, color, texture, and ecological characteristics for 2,101 species of rodents (order Rodentia) and examined their key evolutionary correlates. Using Bayesian phylogenetic mixed models across the entire order and additionally within the five rodent suborders, we found that tail length is correlated with both temperature (Allen's rule) and locomotory mode, that black tips are more common in brightly lit environments, that naked tails are often found in warmer climates, that fluffy-tipped tails are more common in smaller and/or arboreal species, that prehensility is predominant in arboreal species and/or species with longer tails, and that tail autotomy is more common in open environments. Most of our tested predictions, largely drawn from population-level studies, are not recapitulated across the entire order, potentially indicating a role of local ecological context in shaping tail morphology.
Collapse
|
2
|
Luo Y, Wei QM, Newman C, Huang XQ, Luo XY, Zhou ZM. Variation in Pheidole nodus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) functional morphology across urban parks. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15679. [PMID: 37483976 PMCID: PMC10361077 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15679] [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: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Habitat fragmentation and consequent population isolation in urban areas can impose significant selection pressures on individuals and species confined to urban islands, such as parks. Despite many comparative studies on the diversity and structure of ant community living in urban areas, studies on ants' responses to these highly variable ecosystems are often based on assemblage composition and interspecific mean trait values, which ignore the potential for high intraspecific functional trait variation among individuals. Methods Here, we examined differences in functional traits among populations of the generalist ant Pheidole nodus fragmented between urban parks. We used pitfall trapping, which is more random and objective than sampling colonies directly, despite a trade-off against sample size. We then tested whether trait-filtering could explain phenotypic differences among urban park ant populations, and whether ant populations in different parks exhibited different phenotypic optima, leading to positional shifts in anatomical morphospace through the regional ant meta-population. Results Intraspecific morphological differentiation was evident across this urban region. Populations had different convex hull volumes, positioned differently over the morphospace. Conclusions Fragmentation and habitat degradation reduced phenotypic diversity and, ultimately, changed the morphological optima of populations in this urban landscape. Considering ants' broad taxonomic and functional diversity and their important role in ecosystems, further work over a variety of ant taxa is necessary to ascertain those varied morphological response pathways operating in response to population segregation in urban environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi Luo
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| | - Qing-Ming Wei
- Nanchong Vocational and Technical College, Nanchong, China
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Xiang-Qin Huang
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| | - Xin-Yu Luo
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| | - Zhao-Min Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Biodiversity Conservation (Sichuan Province), China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Allometry reveals trade-offs between Bergmann's and Allen's rules, and different avian adaptive strategies for thermoregulation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1101. [PMID: 36843121 PMCID: PMC9968716 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36676-w] [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: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals tend to decrease in body size (Bergmann's rule) and elongate appendages (Allen's rule) in warm climates. However, it is unknown whether these patterns depend on each other or constitute independent responses to the thermal environment. Here, based on a global phylogenetic comparative analysis across 99.7% of the world's bird species, we show that the way in which the relative length of unfeathered appendages co-varies with temperature depends on body size and vice versa. First, the larger the body, the greater the increase in beak length with temperature. Second, the temperature-based increase in tarsus length is apparent only in larger birds, whereas in smaller birds, tarsus length decreases with temperature. Third, body size and the length of beak and tarsus interact with each other to predict the species' environmental temperature. These findings suggest that the animals' body size and shape are products of an evolutionary compromise that reflects distinct alternative thermoregulatory adaptations.
Collapse
|
4
|
Hinckley A, Sanchez-Donoso I, Comas M, Camacho-Sanchez M, Hawkins MTR, Hasan NH, Leonard JA. Challenging ecogeographical rules: Phenotypic variation in the Mountain Treeshrew (Tupaia montana) along tropical elevational gradients. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268213. [PMID: 35714073 PMCID: PMC9205479 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules were defined to describe macroecological patterns across latitudinal gradients. Bergmann observed a positive association between body size and latitude for endothermic species while Allen described shorter appendages as latitude increases. Almost two centuries later, there is still ongoing discussion about these patterns. Temperature, the common variable in these two rules, varies predictably across both latitude and elevation. Although these rules have been assessed extensively in mammals across latitude, particularly in regions with strong seasonality, studies on tropical montane mammals are scarce. We here test for these patterns and assess the variation of several other locomotory, diet-associated, body condition, and thermoregulatory traits across elevation in the Mountain Treeshrew (Tupaia montana) on tropical mountains in Borneo. Based on morphological measurements from both the field and scientific collections, we found a complex pattern: Bergmann’s rule was not supported in our tropical mountain system, since skull length, body size, and weight decreased from the lowest elevations (<1000 m) to middle elevations (2000–2500 m), and then increased from middle elevations to highest elevations. Allen’s rule was supported for relative tail length, which decreased with elevation, but not for ear and hindfoot length, with the former remaining constant and the latter increasing with elevation. This evidence together with changes in presumed diet-related traits (rostrum length, zygomatic breadth and upper tooth row length) along elevation suggest that selective pressures other than temperature, are playing a more important role shaping the morphological variation across the distribution of the Mountain Treeshrew. Diet, food acquisition, predation pressure, and/or intra- and inter-specific competition, are some of the potential factors driving the phenotypic variation of this study system. The lack of variation in body condition might suggest local adaptation of this species across its elevational range, perhaps due to generalist foraging strategies. Finally, a highly significant temporal effect was detected in several traits but not in others, representing the first phenotypic variation temporal trends described on treeshrews.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arlo Hinckley
- Conservation & Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Seville, Spain
- Division of Mammals, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States of America
- Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
- * E-mail: (AH); (JAL)
| | - Ines Sanchez-Donoso
- Conservation & Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Mar Comas
- Conservation & Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Seville, Spain
- Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States of America
| | - Miguel Camacho-Sanchez
- Conservation & Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Seville, Spain
- Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria, Pesquera, Alimentaria y de la Producción Ecológica (IFAPA), Alcalá del Río, Seville, Spain
| | - Melissa T. R. Hawkins
- Division of Mammals, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Noor Haliza Hasan
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Jennifer A. Leonard
- Conservation & Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Seville, Spain
- * E-mail: (AH); (JAL)
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ryding S, Klaassen M, Tattersall GJ, Gardner JL, Symonds MRE. Shape-shifting: changing animal morphologies as a response to climatic warming. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:1036-1048. [PMID: 34507845 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Many animal appendages, such as avian beaks and mammalian ears, can be used to dissipate excess body heat. Allen's rule, wherein animals in warmer climates have larger appendages to facilitate more efficient heat exchange, reflects this. We find that there is widespread evidence of 'shape-shifting' (changes in appendage size) in endotherms in response to climate change and its associated climatic warming. We re-examine studies of morphological change over time within a thermoregulatory context, finding evidence that temperature can be a strong predictor of morphological change independently of, or combined with, other environmental changes. Last, we discuss how Allen's rule, the degree of temperature change, and other ecological factors facilitate morphological change and make predictions about what animals will show shape-shifting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Ryding
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia.
| | - Marcel Klaassen
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia
| | - Glenn J Tattersall
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, Saint Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Janet L Gardner
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Matthew R E Symonds
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hu TL, Cheng F, Xu Z, Chen ZZ, Yu L, Ban Q, Li CL, Pan T, Zhang BW. Molecular and morphological evidence for a new species of the genus Typhlomys (Rodentia: Platacanthomyidae). Zool Res 2021; 42:100-107. [PMID: 33258336 PMCID: PMC7840448 DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2020.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we reassessed the taxonomic position of Typhlomys (Rodentia: Platacanthomyidae) from Huangshan, Anhui, China, based on morphological and molecular evidence. Results suggested that Typhlomys is comprised of up to six species, including four currently recognized species ( Typhlomys cinereus, T. chapensis, T. daloushanensis, and T. nanus), one unconfirmed candidate species, and one new species ( Typhlomys huangshanensis sp. nov.). Morphological analyses further supported the designation of the Huangshan specimens found at mid-elevations in the southern Huangshan Mountains (600 m to 1 200 m a.s.l.) as a new species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ting-Li Hu
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Feng Cheng
- Unit of Evolutionary Biology/Systematic Zoology, Institute of Biology and Biochemistry, University Potsdam, Potsdam, Brandenburg 14476, Germany
| | - Zhen Xu
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Zhong-Zheng Chen
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China. E-mail:
| | - Lei Yu
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China.,International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral Ecology, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Qian Ban
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Chun-Lin Li
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Tao Pan
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Bao-Wei Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China.,International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral Ecology, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China. E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|