DOCSLIB.ORG

Mandible Variation in the Dwarf Fat-Tailed Jerboa, Pygeretmus Pumilio (Rodentia: Dipodidae)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Mandible Variation in the Dwarf Fat-Tailed Jerboa, Pygeretmus Pumilio (Rodentia: Dipodidae) Canadian Journal of Zoology Phenotypic plasticity under desert environment constraints: mandible variation in the dwarf fat-tailed jerboa, Pygeretmus pumilio (Rodentia: Dipodidae) Journal: Canadian Journal of Zoology Manuscript ID cjz-2019-0029.R1 Manuscript Type: Article Date Submitted by the 17-Apr-2019 Author: Complete List of Authors: Krystufek, Boris; Slovenian Museum of Natural History Janzekovic, Franc; Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor Shenbrot, DraftGeorgy; Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology Ivajnsic, Danijel; Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor Klenovsek, Tina; Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor Is your manuscript invited for consideration in a Special Not applicable (regular submission) Issue?: Bergmann’s rule, desert ecology, ecomorphology, geometric Keyword: morphometrics, dwarf fat-tailed jerboa, Pygeretmus pumilio, resource availability https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjz-pubs Page 1 of 46 Canadian Journal of Zoology Phenotypic plasticity under desert environment constraints: mandible variation in the dwarf fat-tailed jerboa, Pygeretmus pumilio (Rodentia: Dipodidae) B. Kryštufek, F. Janžekovič, G. Shenbrot, D. Ivajnšič, and T. Klenovšek B. Kryštufek. Slovenian Museum of Natural History, Prešernova 20, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, email: [email protected] F. Janžekovič, D. Ivajnšič, and T. Klenovšek. Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Koroška 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia, emails: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] G. Shenbrot. Mitrani Department ofDraft Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel, email: [email protected] Correspondence: T. Klenovšek Address: Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Koroška 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia. Telephone: +386 41 808 366 Fax: +386 2 25 18 180 E-mail: [email protected] 1Supplementary tables are available with the article through the journal Web site at 1 https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjz-pubs Canadian Journal of Zoology Page 2 of 46 Phenotypic plasticity under desert environment constraints: mandible variation in the dwarf fat-tailed jerboa, Pygeretmus pumilio (Rodentia: Dipodidae) B. Kryštufek, F. Janžekovič, G. Shenbrot, D. Ivajnšič, and T. Klenovšek Abstract: Arid areas have a comparatively narrow range of habitat types, with restricted variation in environmental parameters, leaving narrow boundaries for phenotypic variation to correlate with ecological variables. To test this presumption, we explored variation in size and shape of the mandible in the dwarf fat-tailed jerboa Pygeretmus pumilio (Kerr, 1792) under the constraints of a rigorous desert environment. Size varied significantly and predictably with geographic position and demonstrated a strong, non-linear longitudinal pattern. Moreover, size was associated withDraft several other climatic variables, but not with soil properties or with proxies for primary productivity. Our results suggest that, for rodents exposed to rapid and extreme changes, larger size may have multiple advantages, i.e. in maintaining euthermia during cold nights and efficient water metabolism under aridity stress; in accumulating fat reserves for hibernation; and digging deeper burrows, better protected from surface extremes. Shape varied clinally along the longitudinal transect, and the pattern was affected more by temperature than by precipitation. We conclude that the success of dwarf fat-tailed jerboa in occupying an extensive geographic range relies on their ability to meet environmental heterogeneity through cohesive and diverse responses, including physiology, behaviour, life-history traits, and morphological plasticity. Keywords: Bergmann’s rule, desert ecology, ecomorphology, geometric morphometrics, dwarf fat-tailed jerboa, Pygeretmus pumilio, resource availability. 1Supplementary tables are available with the article through the journal Web site at 2 https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjz-pubs Page 3 of 46 Canadian Journal of Zoology Introduction Interest in ecotypic morphometric variation of endothermic vertebrates goes back to the mid-19th century. Size has been in the focus ever since Bergmann’s (1847) generalization of the association between body size and latitude. The emerging third universal response to anthropogenic warming (i.e. reduction in body size alongside global temperature increases) is adding new significance to an old interest (Millien et al. 2006). Such attention is understandable, given that the size of an organism affects virtually every aspect of its existence (Calder 1984). Various hypotheses were proposed in the past to explain the functional association between the size of an animal and its environment (Millien et al. 2006; Yom-Tov and Geffen 2011). The traditional reason for the negative relation between body size and temperature (Bergmann’s rule) invokes the heat conservation gained through a decreased surface-area-to-volume ratioDraft (heat conservation hypothesis; Bergmann 1847; Gür 2010). While the low ratio of a larger endotherm better conserves energy in a cold environment, the high ratio in its smaller counterpart dissipates heat more effectively, which is advantageous in a warm, humid environment (heat dissipation hypothesis; Aldrich and James 1991). Since energy (fat) reserves increase with body size faster than the metabolic rate, a larger animal will endure (fast) for longer during periods of resource shortage (seasonality hypothesis; Gür 2010). A key predictor in determining body size can be food availability during postnatal growth, when the body size of endotherms is largely determined. The resource availability hypothesis therefore predicts a positive correlation between body size and environmental productivity itself, rather than temporal variability of productivity (Mueller and Diamond 2001; Yom-Tov and Geffen 2011). After the early interest in size variation, geographic variation in morphological shape and its association with environmental factors progressed, with the introduction of multivariate statistics in data analysis and particularly benefited from the revolution in 1Supplementary tables are available with the article through the journal Web site at 3 https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjz-pubs Canadian Journal of Zoology Page 4 of 46 geometric morphometrics and analysis of landmarks (Rohlf and Marcus 1993). A number of studies showed that animals were capable of modifying their shape to improve resource use in a changing habitat and to cope with intra-specific competition (Souto-Lima and Millien 2014; Renaud et al. 2015). Deserts are environments of extremes in temperature and water availability. Extensive water shortages and a scarcity of vegetation create serious selective pressure and determine the occurrence, adaptation and distribution of desert animals (Laity 2008). Adaptations to extreme desert conditions have been studied at length in various groups, particularly rodents (for reviews, see MacMillen 1983; Genoways and Brown 1993; Mueller and Diamond 2001). Where body size is concerned, several authors noted that some mammals are smaller in desert environments than they would be in more mesic situations (the desert rule; McNab 2010). Furthermore, trends in size are associatedDraft more closely with precipitation and primary productivity than with temperature (Yom-Tov and Geffen 2006; McNab 2010). The dwarf fat-tailed jerboa Pygeretmus pumilio (Kerr, 1792) is a small (mean body mass = 45 grams), bipedal dipodid (family Dipodidae) from the semideserts and clay deserts of southeastern Europe and Central Asia. The geographic range covers ca. 5350 km in longitude and ca. 1750 km in latitude (Figure 1). It is a nocturnal leaf-eater and a facultative hibernator (Shenbrot et al. 1995). The dwarf fat-tailed jerboa is a promising model for studying ecotypic variation in a desert rodent. It is a ricochet rodent that occupies an extensive desert belt, is abundant, and is polytypic, with five recognized subspecies (Shenbrot et al., 1995 (2008)). We analyzed the morphological variability in P. pumilio by studying the mandible, which is a remarkably flexible structure and reacts actively to various interactions and feedbacks by changing shape (Renaud et al. 2015). Despite its obvious simplicity, the mandible evolved as a mosaic of elements and comprises several morphogenetic regions 1Supplementary tables are available with the article through the journal Web site at 4 https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjz-pubs Page 5 of 46 Canadian Journal of Zoology (Casanovas-Vilar and van Dam 2013). These regions show dissimilar rates of differentiation, composition, and function, making the mandible a highly informative structure. The mandible is the only movable bone of the skull, effectively acting as a lever through articulation between the condylar process and the temporal bone of the cranium. The main function of the mandible is to produce gnawing and chewing actions. It is nearly flat and it can be effectively analyzed in two dimensions, from a lateral point of view (Renaud et al. 2015). This minimizes error, which is an important issue in studies where any measured differences are naturally subtle. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different spatial and environmental conditions on the size and shape of the mandible of P. pumilio across its wide geographic range. We
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Species Status Assessment Report New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus Hudsonius Luteus)
    Species Status Assessment Report New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus) (photo courtesy of J. Frey) Prepared by the Listing Review Team U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Albuquerque, New Mexico May 27, 2014 New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse SSA May 27, 2014 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This species status assessment reports the results of the comprehensive status review for the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus) (jumping mouse) and provides a thorough account of the species’ overall viability and, conversely, extinction risk. The jumping mouse is a small mammal whose historical distribution likely included riparian areas and wetlands along streams in the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountains from southern Colorado to central New Mexico, including the Jemez and Sacramento Mountains and the Rio Grande Valley from Española to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, and into parts of the White Mountains in eastern Arizona. In conducting our status assessment we first considered what the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse needs to ensure viability. We generally define viability as the ability of the species to persist over the long-term and, conversely, to avoid extinction. We next evaluated whether the identified needs of the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse are currently available and the repercussions to the subspecies when provision of those needs are missing or diminished. We then consider the factors that are causing the species to lack what it needs, including historical, current, and future factors. Finally, considering the information reviewed, we evaluate the current status and future viability of the species in terms of resiliency, redundancy, and representation.
    [Show full text]
  • The Phylogenetic Roots of Human Lethal Violence José María Gómez1,2, Miguel Verdú3, Adela González-Megías4 & Marcos Méndez5
    LETTER doi:10.1038/nature19758 The phylogenetic roots of human lethal violence José María Gómez1,2, Miguel Verdú3, Adela González-Megías4 & Marcos Méndez5 The psychological, sociological and evolutionary roots of 600 human populations, ranging from the Palaeolithic era to the present conspecific violence in humans are still debated, despite attracting (Supplementary Information section 9c). The level of lethal violence the attention of intellectuals for over two millennia1–11. Here we was defined as the probability of dying from intraspecific violence propose a conceptual approach towards understanding these roots compared to all other causes. More specifically, we calculated the level based on the assumption that aggression in mammals, including of lethal violence as the percentage, with respect to all documented humans, has a significant phylogenetic component. By compiling sources of mortality, of total deaths due to conspecifics (these sources of mortality from a comprehensive sample of mammals, were infanticide, cannibalism, inter-group aggression and any other we assessed the percentage of deaths due to conspecifics and, type of intraspecific killings in non-human mammals; war, homicide, using phylogenetic comparative tools, predicted this value for infanticide, execution, and any other kind of intentional conspecific humans. The proportion of human deaths phylogenetically killing in humans). predicted to be caused by interpersonal violence stood at 2%. Lethal violence is reported for almost 40% of the studied mammal This value was similar to the one phylogenetically inferred for species (Supplementary Information section 9a). This is probably the evolutionary ancestor of primates and apes, indicating that a an underestimation, because information is not available for many certain level of lethal violence arises owing to our position within species.
    [Show full text]
  • New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus Hudsonius Luteus)
    New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus) 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office Albuquerque, New Mexico January 30, 2020 1 5-YEAR REVIEW New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus) 1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION 1.1 Listing History Species: New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus) Date listed: June 10, 2014 Federal Register citations: • June 10, 2014. Determination of Endangered Status for the New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse Throughout Its Range (79 FR 33119) • March 16, 2016. Designation of Critical Habitat for the New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse; Final Rule ( 81 FR 14263) Classification: Endangered 1.2 Methodology used to complete the review: In accordance with section 4(c)(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), the purpose of a 5-year review is to assess each threatened species and endangered species to determine whether its status has changed and it should be classified differently or removed from the Lists of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife and Plants. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) recently evaluated the biological status of the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse to update the original 2014 Species Status Assessment (SSA) report (Service 2014). The original SSA report supported the listing of the species as endangered in 2014 and the designation of critical habitat in 2016 within eight separate geographical management areas (GMAs). The updated SSA report (Service 2020) contains the scientific basis that the Service is using to inform this 5-year review, guiding future research projects that will answer key questions about the life history and ecology of the species, and supporting further recovery planning and implementation.
    [Show full text]
  • A Review and the Conservation Implications of Aquatic Behaviour and Drowning in Jumping Mice (Dipodidae: Zapodinae)
    Note A Review and the Conservation Implications of Aquatic Behaviour and Drowning in Jumping Mice (Dipodidae: Zapodinae) JENNIFER K. F REY Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003 USA; email: [email protected] Frey, Jennifer K. 2017. A review and the conservation implications of aquatic behaviour and drowning in jumping mice (Dipodidae: Zapodinae). Canadian Field-Naturalist 131(2): 141–143. https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v131i2.1869 Jumping mice (Dipodidae: Zapodinae) have a generalized terrestrial quadrupedal locomotion with specializations for saltatory and scansorial locomotion. I reviewed first-hand accounts of aquatic behaviour in the literature and confirmed that jumping mice are semi-aquatic, using both primitive quadrupedal paddling on the surface as well as the more derived simultaneous bipedal pelvic paddling while swimming underwater. Although proficient swimmers, jumping mice are also prone to drowning, especially in human-made pools. Management of populations of jumping mice with conservation concern should consider potential hazards faced by jumping mice in an aquatic environment. Key Words: Endangered species; jumping mouse; Eozapus ; Zapus ; Napaeozapus ; pitfall trap Introduction mice have been assessed by the Committee on the Sta - The jumping mice (Dipodidae: Zapodinae) include tus of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (SARA Public four North American species, Meadow Jumping Mouse Registry 2017), it is important to understand more clear - (Zapus hudsonius
    [Show full text]
  • Cestoda: Catenotaeniidae
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Scott aG rdner Publications & Papers Parasitology, Harold W. Manter Laboratory of 2017 A New Species of Catenotaenia (Cestoda: Catenotaeniidae) from Pygeretmus pumilio Kerr, 1792 from the Gobi of Mongolia Altangerel Tsogtsaikhan Dursahinhan University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Batsaikhan Nyamsuren National University of Mongolia, [email protected] Danielle Marie Tufts Columbia University, [email protected] Scott yL ell Gardner University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/slg Part of the Biodiversity Commons, Biology Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, and the Parasitology Commons Dursahinhan, Altangerel Tsogtsaikhan; Nyamsuren, Batsaikhan; Tufts, aD nielle Marie; and Gardner, Scott yL ell, "A New Species of Catenotaenia (Cestoda: Catenotaeniidae) from Pygeretmus pumilio Kerr, 1792 from the Gobi of Mongolia" (2017). Scott aG rdner Publications & Papers. 10. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/slg/10 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Parasitology, Harold W. Manter Laboratory of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Scott aG rdner Publications & Papers by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Dursahinhan, Nyamsuren, Tufts, & Gardner in Comparative Parasitology 84(2): 124-134. Copright 2017, Helminthological Society of Washington. Used by permission. Comp. Parasitol. 84(2), 2017, pp. 124–134 A New Species of Catenotaenia (Cestoda: Catenotaeniidae) from Pygeretmus pumilio Kerr, 1792 from the Gobi of Mongolia 1 2 1 ALTANGEREL TSOGTSAIKHAN DURSAHINHAN, BATSAIKHAN NYAMSUREN, DANIELLE MARIE TUFTS, AND 1,3 SCOTT LYELL GARDNER 1 The Harold W.
    [Show full text]
  • Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse Habitat Scorecard
    COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse ASSESSING HABITAT QUALITY FOR PRIORITY WILDLIFE SPECIES IN COLORADO WETLANDS Species Distribution Range Preble’s meadow jumping mice occur only in Colorado and Wyoming. In Colorado, they are known to occupy the counties along the Front Range from the Wyoming border through El Paso County. © ROB SCHORR, CNHP SCHORR, ROB © Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei, Family Dipodidae) is a rare small mammal that lives in dense riparian vegetation along the Front Range. Species Description Diet The diet of Preble’s meadow jumping Identification mice includes, but is probably not Preble’s meadow jumping mice grow limited to, grass seeds, invertebrates, to approximately nine inches in length, fungi, and insect larvae. including their five and a half-inch tails. They are mostly nocturnal and Conservation Status hibernate in upland areas for eight The Preble’s meadow jumping mouse months of the year, making them dif- is listed as threatened by the U.S. ficult to observe. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS 1998). In Colorado, they are listed as a Preferred Habitats threatened, Tier 1, Species of Greatest During summer months, the most Conservation Need (CPW 2015). The important wetland types occupied Colorado Natural Heritage Program by Preble’s meadow jumping mice considers the subspecies to be globally- include riparian areas and adjacent imperiled (G5 T2) and critically- wet meadows. During the summer, imperiled with the state (S1). they prefer dense shrub, grass and forb ground cover along creeks, rivers, and associated waterbodies. From early fall through the spring, they hibernate underground in burrows that are Full species range map from USFWS (2004).
    [Show full text]
  • Mice and Voles
    Mice and Voles Mice and voles are small, unobtrusive creatures at the base of nature’s food chain. Though rarely seen in multitude, in terms of biomass—the total mass of living matter in each area—they greatly outweigh the many predators that depend on them for food. This is because they are extremely prolific breeders, despite their short lifespans. Pennsylvania has two native species of mice, four voles, deer mouse a bog lemming, two types of jumping mouse, and two imported European species. All are rodents, with two pairs of constantly growing, chisel-shaped incisor teeth, one pair The gestation period for most mice and voles is around on the upper jaw opposing another pair on the lower jaw. three weeks. Young are born without fur and with their eyes closed. The mother nurses them, and they grow Mice and voles mainly eat vegetation—nuts, seeds, rapidly; litters are weaned and on their own within a fruits, leaves, and grasses. Most species collect and hoard month, and the mother—who has already ovulated and foodstuffs to eat later and to subsist on throughout winter. bred again—gives birth within a few weeks. Young from Most are predators, in a small way, on insects and their early litters can reproduce during their first year. In one larvae, as well as snails, slugs, spiders, and, in some cases, of the most prolific species, the meadow vole, a single bird eggs and even other mammals. In turn, mice and voles female can potentially give birth to nine litters with a total are fodder for a vast assortment of creatures including of 72 offspring per year: it’s not hard to see how quickly a snakes, shrews, weasels, raccoons, skunks, bobcats, foxes, population might explode were it not for constant attrition coyotes, domestic dogs and cats, and even creatures as from predators, parasites, disease, and accidents such as large as black bears.
    [Show full text]
  • Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus Hudsonius Preblei) Surveys on the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge (2014-2017)
    U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) Surveys on the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge (2014-2017) The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and, where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations. SUGGESTED CITATION: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2018. Preble’s Jumping Mouse Surveys on the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge 2014-2017. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado Front Range National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Commerce City, Colo. 26p. COVER PHOTO: The Rock Creek drainage at the Rocky Flats NWR (Alison Michael/USFWS) Introduction: The Rocky Flats site is a 6,240-acre former nuclear defense facility that was operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). All weapons manufacturing was performed in a 600-acre area in the middle of the site known as the Industrial Area. In 1992, the mission of the Rocky Flats site changed from weapons production to environmental cleanup and closure. The DOE completed the cleanup in accordance with the Rocky Flats Cleanup Agreement (RFCA) under oversight by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Under the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge Act of 2001 (Refuge Act), portions of the 6,240-acre Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site became the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).
    [Show full text]
  • Meadow Jumping Mice (Zapus Hudsonius Preblei) on the U.S
    Meadow Jumping Mice (Zapus hudsonius preblei) on the U.S. Air Force Academy, El Paso County, Colorado Colorado Natural Heritage Program College of Natural Resources Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Colorado Natural Heritage Program February 2001 College of Natural Resources Colorado State University Meadow Jumping Mice (Zapus hudsonius preblei) on the U.S. Air Force Academy El Paso County, Colorado Robert A. Schorr Zoologist Cover photographs: 1. Subadult meadow jumping mouse from Monument Creek 2. Monument Creek near southeast of Reservoir No. 1 Suggested citation: Schorr, R. A. 2001. Meadow jumping mice (Zapus hudsonius preblei) on the U.S. Air Force Academy, El Paso County, Colorado. Colorado Natural Heritage Program unpublished report to the Natural Resources Branch, U.S. Air Force Academy. 53 pp. Additional reports available at www.cnhp.colostate.edu 2 Acknowledgments This study would not have been conducted without the financial support of the U.S. Air Force Academy and the Department of Defense. In addition, Colorado State University, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Nature Conservancy aided in administrative support. Dana Green, former Natural Resource Planner for the U.S. Air Force Academy, is responsible for much of the support for this long-term study. Thank you to the field technicians throughout the years who were instrumental in the information collection and for their biological insight: Mitch Emig, Joanne Stewart, Laurie Masten, Parker Schuerman, Gordon Mullen, Jose Maldonado, Susan Ask, and Tanya Derrickson. Volunteers played an instrumental role in data collection and analysis. I want to thank them for their commitment to and energy for the project.
    [Show full text]
  • Meadow Jumping Mice (Zapus Hudsonius Preblei) on the U.S. Air Force Academy, El Paso County, Colorado
    Meadow Jumping Mice (Zapus hudsonius preblei) on the U.S. Air Force Academy, El Paso County, Colorado Colorado Natural Heritage Program College of Natural Resources Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Colorado Natural Heritage Program February 2001 College of Natural Resources Colorado State University Meadow Jumping Mice (Zapus hudsonius preblei) on the U.S. Air Force Academy El Paso County, Colorado Robert A. Schorr Zoologist Cover photographs: 1. Subadult meadow jumping mouse from Monument Creek 2. Monument Creek near southeast of Reservoir No. 1 Suggested citation: Schorr, R. A. 2001. Meadow jumping mice (Zapus hudsonius preblei) on the U.S. Air Force Academy, El Paso County, Colorado. Colorado Natural Heritage Program unpublished report to the Natural Resources Branch, U.S. Air Force Academy. 53 pp. Additional reports available at www.cnhp.colostate.edu 2 Acknowledgments This study would not have been conducted without the financial support of the U.S. Air Force Academy and the Department of Defense. In addition, Colorado State University, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Nature Conservancy aided in administrative support. Dana Green, former Natural Resource Planner for the U.S. Air Force Academy, is responsible for much of the support for this long-term study. Thank you to the field technicians throughout the years who were instrumental in the information collection and for their biological insight: Mitch Emig, Joanne Stewart, Laurie Masten, Parker Schuerman, Gordon Mullen, Jose Maldonado, Susan Ask, and Tanya Derrickson. Volunteers played an instrumental role in data collection and analysis. I want to thank them for their commitment to and energy for the project.
    [Show full text]
  • Home Range of the Western Jumping Mouse, Zapus Princeps, in the Colorado Rocky Mountains Nathaniel Stinson Jr
    Great Basin Naturalist Volume 37 | Number 1 Article 9 3-31-1977 Home range of the western jumping mouse, Zapus princeps, in the Colorado Rocky Mountains Nathaniel Stinson Jr. University of Colorado, Boulder Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn Recommended Citation Stinson, Nathaniel Jr. (1977) "Home range of the western jumping mouse, Zapus princeps, in the Colorado Rocky Mountains," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 37 : No. 1 , Article 9. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol37/iss1/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Basin Naturalist by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. HOME RANGE OF THE WESTERN JUMPING MOUSE, ZAPUS PRINCEPS, IN THE COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAINS Nathaniel Stinson, Jr.' Abstract.— Western jumping mice, Zapiis princeps, were live-trapped during the summer of 1975 in an aspen forest in the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Home range sizes were calculated using the exclu- sive boundary strip method, and it was discovered that males had larger home ranges (298-.3315 m^, x = 1743 m^) than females (680-1275 ni", x = 1041 m'^). Mean range length was 96.5 m for males and 78.5 m for females. Spatial relationships showed that females tended to be more territorial than males, based on the females' higher percentage of exclusive home ranges, greater distance between centers of activity, and more uniform spacing. Jumping mice (Zapodidae) are widely dis- densis), and bluegrass {Poa spp.) dominated tributed over North America.
    [Show full text]
  • Zapus, Zapodinae, Rodentia) from Utah
    Western North American Naturalist Volume 64 Number 4 Article 3 10-29-2004 First Pleistocene jumping mouse (Zapus, Zapodinae, Rodentia) from Utah Dennis R. Ruez Jr. University of Texas at Austin Christopher J. Bell University of Texas at Austin Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan Recommended Citation Ruez, Dennis R. Jr. and Bell, Christopher J. (2004) "First Pleistocene jumping mouse (Zapus, Zapodinae, Rodentia) from Utah," Western North American Naturalist: Vol. 64 : No. 4 , Article 3. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan/vol64/iss4/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Western North American Naturalist by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Western North American Naturalist 64(4), © 2004, pp. 439–444 FIRST PLEISTOCENE JUMPING MOUSE (ZAPUS, ZAPODINAE, RODENTIA) FROM UTAH Dennis R. Ruez, Jr.,1 and Christopher J. Bell1 ABSTRACT.—Two of the Little Dell Dam fossil localities produced the 1st Pleistocene records of the jumping mouse Zapus from Utah. We describe these teeth in detail and compare their morphology with both extinct and extant jumping mouse taxa. Although it is not possible to confidently assign these specimens to a particular species, the Little Dell Dam fossils are clearly distinct from the only living jumping mouse (Zapus princeps) currently known from Utah. The para- cone is attached to the rest of the occlusal surface of the upper 1st and 2nd molars in modern Z.
    [Show full text]