scholarly journals Subterranean Rodents as Pests: The Case of the Pocket Gopher

2007 ◽  
pp. 287-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary W. Witmer ◽  
Richard M. Engeman
Keyword(s):  
Subterranean Rodents ◽  
Pocket Gopher

scholarly journals Heat dissipation in subterranean rodents: the role of body region and social organisation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
František Vejmělka ◽  
Jan Okrouhlík ◽  
Matěj Lövy ◽  
Gabriel Šaffa ◽  
Eviatar Nevo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Heat Dissipation ◽  
Ventral Surface ◽  
Body Region ◽  
Subterranean Rodents ◽  
Ambient Temperatures ◽  
Social Species ◽  
Body Regions ◽  
Body Heat ◽  
Solitary Species

AbstractThe relatively warm and very humid environment of burrows presents a challenge for thermoregulation of its mammalian inhabitants. It was found that African mole-rats dissipate body heat mainly through their venter, and social mole-rats dissipate more body heat compared to solitary species at lower temperatures. In addition, the pattern of the ventral surface temperature was suggested to be homogeneous in social mole-rats compared to a heterogeneous pattern in solitary mole-rats. To investigate this for subterranean rodents generally, we measured the surface temperatures of seven species with different degrees of sociality, phylogeny, and climate using infrared thermography. In all species, heat dissipation occurred mainly through the venter and the feet. Whereas the feet dissipated body heat at higher ambient temperatures and conserved it at lower ambient temperatures, the ventral surface temperature was relatively high in all temperatures indicating that heat dissipation to the environment through this body region is regulated mainly by behavioural means. Solitary species dissipated less heat through their dorsum than social species, and a tendency for this pattern was observed for the venter. The pattern of heterogeneity of surface temperature through the venter was not related to sociality of the various species. Our results demonstrate a general pattern of body heat exchange through the three studied body regions in subterranean rodents. Besides, isolated individuals of social species are less able to defend themselves against low ambient temperatures, which may handicap them if staying alone for a longer period, such as during and after dispersal events.

scholarly journals Searching for signatures of positive selection in cytochrome b gene associated with subterranean lifestyle in fast-evolving arvicolines (Arvicolinae, Cricetidae, Rodentia)

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga V. Bondareva ◽  
Nadezhda A. Potapova ◽  
Kirill A. Konovalov ◽  
Tatyana V. Petrova ◽  
Natalia I. Abramson
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Oxidative Phosphorylation ◽  
Adaptive Evolution ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Subterranean Rodents ◽  
Amino Acid Sequence Variation ◽  
Tertiary Protein Structure ◽  
Metabolic Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Subterranean Species

Abstract Background Mitochondrial genes encode proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation. Variations in lifestyle and ecological niche can be directly reflected in metabolic performance. Subterranean rodents represent a good model for testing hypotheses on adaptive evolution driven by important ecological shifts. Voles and lemmings of the subfamily Arvicolinae (Rodentia: Cricetidae) provide a good example for studies of adaptive radiation. This is the youngest group within the order Rodentia showing the fastest rates of diversification, including the transition to the subterranean lifestyle in several phylogenetically independent lineages. Results We evaluated the signatures of selection in the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytB) gene in 62 Arvicolinae species characterized by either subterranean or surface-dwelling lifestyle by assessing amino acid sequence variation, exploring the functional consequences of the observed variation in the tertiary protein structure, and estimating selection pressure. Our analysis revealed that: (1) three of the convergent amino acid substitutions were found among phylogenetically distant subterranean species and (2) these substitutions may have an influence on the protein complex structure, (3) cytB showed an increased ω and evidence of relaxed selection in subterranean lineages, relative to non-subterranean, and (4) eight protein domains possess increased nonsynonymous substitutions ratio in subterranean species. Conclusions Our study provides insights into the adaptive evolution of the cytochrome b gene in the Arvicolinae subfamily and its potential implications in the molecular mechanism of adaptation. We present a framework for future characterizations of the impact of specific mutations on the function, physiology, and interactions of the mtDNA-encoded proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation.

Experimental Psittacosis in the Pocket Gopher

1934 ◽  
Vol 49 (48) ◽  
pp. 1415 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. M. Hoge
Keyword(s):  
Pocket Gopher

Taxonomy of Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina: the occurrence of the “mendocinus” lineage

Mammalia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro N. Tammone ◽  
Ulyses F.J. Pardiñas
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Subterranean Rodents ◽  
Mammalian Fauna ◽  
Southern South America ◽  
Monte Desert ◽  
Desert Shrub ◽  
Northern Patagonia ◽  
Northern Portion

Abstract Subterranean rodents Ctenomys are iconic representatives of the mammalian fauna from southern South America. Based on molecular data, eight lineages have been identified within the genus, although species-level identifications and relationships are still debated. Until now, the “magellanicus” clade has been the only lineage mentioned from arid, extra-Andean portions of Patagonia. Here, we report the presence of a Ctenomys population from northern Patagonia that is unambiguously associated with the Central Argentinean “mendocinus” lineage. Most of the 160,000 km2 comprising the northern portion of Patagonia – an area consisting primarily of Monte Desert shrub-land – are inhabited by Ctenomys populations of unknown taxonomy.

Scales of heterogeneity in prairie and forest

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 370-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather R Kleb ◽  
Scott D Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Light Penetration ◽  
Pocket Gopher ◽  
Available N ◽  
Litter Mass ◽  
Thomomys Talpoides ◽  
Mixed Grass ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Aspen Forest

Few studies have compared scales of heterogeneity among plant communities. We predicted that differences in the sizes of dominant species should allow us to detect small-scale (<256 cm) heterogeneity in mixed-grass prairie but not in adjacent aspen forest. We examined light penetration, soil moisture, available N, elevation, species composition, and plant mass at 10 locations in prairie and forest in both spring and summer. Variables were measured in 1-cm2 plots arranged in pairs separated by 0-256 cm. Several variables in prairie (elevation, litter mass, light penetration, and species composition) showed significant evidence for scale within the range examined. In contrast, only one variable in forest (light penetration in summer) showed evidence for scale in the same range. The scale of heterogeneity in prairie was consistent with the scale of two possible causes, species composition and elevation variability due to northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides Richardson) activity, both of which varied significantly in prairie but not in forest. Whereas some aboveground factors (light and litter mass) varied within the range examined, belowground factors (water and N) did not, suggesting that the scale of heterogeneity differs between above- and below-ground factors. In total, the results suggest that differences in the scale of heterogeneity between prairie and forest reflect the relative sizes of the dominant plants.Key words: aspen, forest, heterogeneity, light, nitrogen, prairie, scale, soil, water.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document