DOCSLIB.ORG

Biomes, Geology and Past Climate Drive Speciation of Laminate-Toothed Rats on South African Mountains (Murinae: Otomys)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Biomes, Geology and Past Climate Drive Speciation of Laminate-Toothed Rats on South African Mountains (Murinae: Otomys) See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337679212 Biomes, geology and past climate drive speciation of laminate-toothed rats on South African mountains (Murinae: Otomys) Article in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society · November 2019 DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz134/5641518 CITATION READS 1 185 6 authors, including: Peter J Taylor Teresa Catherine Kearney University of the Free State Ditsong: National Museum of Natural History 249 PUBLICATIONS 3,630 CITATIONS 18 PUBLICATIONS 106 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Desire Dalton Gamuchirai Chakona South African National Biodiversity Institute Rhodes University 127 PUBLICATIONS 757 CITATIONS 15 PUBLICATIONS 93 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Viral Genomics View project SALLNet: South African Limpopo Landscapes Network (SPACES2) View project All content following this page was uploaded by Gamuchirai Chakona on 02 December 2019. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. applyparastyle “fig//caption/p[1]” parastyle “FigCapt” Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2019, XX, 1–21. With 5 figures. Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz134/5641518 by Rhodes University Library user on 27 November 2019 Biomes, geology and past climate drive speciation of laminate-toothed rats on South African mountains (Murinae: Otomys) PETER JOHN TAYLOR1,2*, TERESA KEARNEY3,4, DESIRE LEE DALTON1,5, GAMUCHIRAI CHAKONA6†, CHRISTOPHER M. R. KELLY6‡ and NIGEL P. BARKER6§, 1School of Mathematical & Natural Sciences, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa 2School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Biological Sciences Building, South Ring Road, Westville Campus, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal 3630, South Africa 3Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, PO Box 413, Pretoria 0001, South Africa 4School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa 5National Zoological Garden, South African National Biodiversity Institute, PO Box 754, Pretoria 0001, South Africa 6Department of Botany, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa Received 24 May 2019; revised 26 September 2019; accepted for publication 13 October 2019 Mitochondrial DNA sequences (1137 bp) of the cytochrome b gene and craniodental and craniometric data were used to investigate the evolutionary relationships of six putative rodent taxa of Otomys (family Muridae: subfamily Murinae: tribe Otomyini) co-occurring in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. Phylogenetic analysis of 20 new sequences together with craniodental and craniometric characters of 94 adult skulls reveal the existence of a unique lineage of Otomys cf. karoensis (named herein Otomys willani sp. nov.) from the Sneeuberg Centre of Floristic Endemism in the southern Drakensberg Mountain Range. Craniometric analysis distinguished O. karoensis from O. willani and identified a further four localities in the range of the latter species. We document southern range extensions of both Sloggett’s ice rat, Otomys sloggetti, and the vlei rat Otomys auratus to the Sneeuberg Mountain Range, in addition to appreciable genetic divergence between Sneeuberg and southern and central Drakensberg populations of O. sloggetti. Our results demonstrate parallel patterns of cryptic speciation in two co-occurring species complexes (Otomys irroratus s.l. and O. karoensis s.l.) associated closely with the boundaries of biomes (fynbos vs. grassland biomes) and geological formations (Cape Fold Belt vs. Great Escarpment). ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: Africa – mitochondrial DNA – phylogeny – phylogeography – taxonomy. INTRODUCTION *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] †Current address: Department of Environmental Science, Laminate-toothed rats originated and diversified in Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South South Africa 5.0–3.5 Mya, later dispersing to east- Africa central Africa along the African Rift mountains ~2.5– ‡Current address: Physical Sciences Department, Graeme 1.6 Mya and then radiating throughout east, central College, PO Box 281, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa and north-east Africa and the Cameroon Volcanic Line § Current address: Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, (Denys, 2003; Taylor et al., 2004a, 2009a, 2014). There University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South are two genera, Otomys F. Cuvier, 1824 and Parotomys Africa [Version of record, published online 25 November 2019; Thomas, 1918. It has been suggested that Otomys is http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3D940927- polyphyletic with respect to arid-adapted Parotomys 0ADE-454E-AB41-A8EA493D2FAB] (whistling rats), because some Otomys species, such as © 2019 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2019, XX, 1–21 1 2 P. J. TAYLOR ET AL. Sloggett’s ice rat (Otomys sloggetti Thomas, 1902) and 1981; Smithers, 1983), but Lynch & Watson (1992) Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz134/5641518 by Rhodes University Library user on 27 November 2019 the bush Karoo rat (Otomys unisulcatus F. Cuvier, showed that it is mostly restricted to the Drakensberg 1829), are more closely related to Parotomys than to Mountains north of 32°S and east of 26°E, albeit with Otomys (Taylor et al., 1989, 2004a, 2009a, 2011, 2014; a few relictual records from isolated mountainous Phukuntsi et al., 2016). regions of the Karoo in the Beaufort West, De Aar, The genus Otomys (laminate-toothed rats), in the Hope Town, Britstown and Hanover districts (Lynch tribe Otomyini (family Muridae; subfamily Murinae), & Watson, 1992). These old Karoo records include the is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, where it is patchily type locality of Deelfontein, where the species has not associated with Afromontane regions from the been found since its discovery in 1902, making it likely Cameroon Volcanic Line in West Africa to Ethiopia in that the range of the species has contracted since East Africa and south to Cape Town in South Africa then. Of these isolated Karoo records, only those from (Monadjem et al., 2015). The number of species in the Hanover and Hope Town districts could be validated genus is probably underestimated owing to the likely by specimens (Lynch & Watson, 1992). Given that existence of undescribed cryptic species occurring O. sloggetti is restricted to high-elevation alpine and throughout the mountainous regions of Africa subalpine habitats along the Drakensberg Mountain (Carleton & Byrne, 2006; Taylor et al., 2009a, b, 2011, Range and (as shown in the present study) certain 2014; Engelbrecht et al., 2011). Currently, 31 species other parts of the Southern Great Escarpment, genetic are recognized in the genus Otomys (Monadjem et al., fragmentation is likely to occur across the range of 2015; Denys et al., 2017), compared with 15 recognized the species. Richter et al. (1997) indicated that the by Happold (2013). Taylor et al. (2009b) defined the distributions of O. sloggetti and O. irroratus s.l. meet genus Otomys as a group of murid rodents with unique but do not overlap, because of different habitat, laminate molars that distinguish them from other elevational and temperature preferences. However, rodent species. both O. sloggetti and O. auratus were captured at There are two species of Parotomys [Parotomys one site (Asante Sana Private Game Reserve in the brantsii (A. Smith, 1834) and Parotomys littledalei Sneeuberg Mountains), which shows that the species Thomas, 1918] and seven species of Otomys [Otomys can coexist (A. Kok, personal communication; present angoniensis Wroughton, 1906, Otomys auratus study). Furthermore, Phukuntsi et al. (2016) recorded Wroughton, 1906, Otomys irroratus (Brants, O. sloggetti and O. karoensis s.l. (which they termed 1827), Otomys karoensis Roberts, 1931, Otomys ‘lower sloggetti’) cohabiting in the same burrows at laminatus Thomas & Schwann, 1905, O. sloggetti and Tiffendell at 2700 m a.s.l. O. unisulcatus] currently recognized in South Africa Meester et al. (1986) recognized disjunct western (Monadjem et al., 2015). Until recently, considerable (fynbos biome) and eastern (grassland biome) confusion surrounded the taxonomic status of subspecies of O. saundersiae s.l.: Otomys saundersiae populations from South Africa formerly assigned karoensis and Otomys saundersiae saundersiae, to O. irroratus s.l. (O. auratus and O. irroratus) and respectively. The fynbos biome of South Africa O. karoensis s.l. (which was formerly included in comprises Mediterranean-type shrub vegetation O. saundersiae Roberts, 1929). dominated by Restionaceae, restricted to the winter The present study focuses on the phylogeography, rainfall climate region of the Western and Eastern taxonomy and phylogeny of these two species groups, Cape Provinces; the grassland biome comprises together with a third species, O. sloggetti (ice rats), grasslands dominating the higher central plateau and whose distributional limits and subspecies taxonomy most of the Great Escarpment of South Africa (Mucina have also been subject to debate and for which new & Rutherford, 2006). However, the taxonomic status molecular and morphological data are presented of topotypical populations of O. saundersiae from from various grassland sites in the high Drakensberg
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Quaternary Murid Rodents of Timor Part I: New Material of Coryphomys Buehleri Schaub, 1937, and Description of a Second Species of the Genus
    QUATERNARY MURID RODENTS OF TIMOR PART I: NEW MATERIAL OF CORYPHOMYS BUEHLERI SCHAUB, 1937, AND DESCRIPTION OF A SECOND SPECIES OF THE GENUS K. P. APLIN Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO Division of Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra and Division of Vertebrate Zoology (Mammalogy) American Museum of Natural History ([email protected]) K. M. HELGEN Department of Vertebrate Zoology National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution, Washington and Division of Vertebrate Zoology (Mammalogy) American Museum of Natural History ([email protected]) BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Number 341, 80 pp., 21 figures, 4 tables Issued July 21, 2010 Copyright E American Museum of Natural History 2010 ISSN 0003-0090 CONTENTS Abstract.......................................................... 3 Introduction . ...................................................... 3 The environmental context ........................................... 5 Materialsandmethods.............................................. 7 Systematics....................................................... 11 Coryphomys Schaub, 1937 ........................................... 11 Coryphomys buehleri Schaub, 1937 . ................................... 12 Extended description of Coryphomys buehleri............................ 12 Coryphomys musseri, sp.nov.......................................... 25 Description.................................................... 26 Coryphomys, sp.indet.............................................. 34 Discussion . ....................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Diversification of Muroid Rodents Driven by the Late Miocene Global Cooling Nelish Pradhan University of Vermont
    University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM Graduate College Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 2018 Diversification Of Muroid Rodents Driven By The Late Miocene Global Cooling Nelish Pradhan University of Vermont Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis Part of the Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons, Evolution Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Pradhan, Nelish, "Diversification Of Muroid Rodents Driven By The Late Miocene Global Cooling" (2018). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 907. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/907 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate College Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DIVERSIFICATION OF MUROID RODENTS DRIVEN BY THE LATE MIOCENE GLOBAL COOLING A Dissertation Presented by Nelish Pradhan to The Faculty of the Graduate College of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Specializing in Biology May, 2018 Defense Date: January 8, 2018 Dissertation Examination Committee: C. William Kilpatrick, Ph.D., Advisor David S. Barrington, Ph.D., Chairperson Ingi Agnarsson, Ph.D. Lori Stevens, Ph.D. Sara I. Helms Cahan, Ph.D. Cynthia J. Forehand, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate College ABSTRACT Late Miocene, 8 to 6 million years ago (Ma), climatic changes brought about dramatic floral and faunal changes. Cooler and drier climates that prevailed in the Late Miocene led to expansion of grasslands and retreat of forests at a global scale.
    [Show full text]
  • Otomys Karoensis – Robert's Vlei
    Otomys karoensis – Robert’s Vlei Rat fynbos, predominantly on rocky slopes and dense fynbos patches, and this habitat is not prone to being overgrazed. However, the effects of climate change on this species should be monitored and, should molecular research reveal a species complex, it will necessitate a reassessment. Photograph Distribution wanted The species is endemic to South Africa and occurs in two disjunct regions, the fynbos of the Cape Fold Belt Mountains of the Western Cape as well as in the grasslands of southern Drakensberg in northern Eastern Cape and the central plateau grasslands of the southern Free State (Monadjem et al. 2015). It has been reported as occurring in Lesotho but this appears to have been a misidentification. Specifically, in the Eastern Cape, they Regional Red List status (2016) Least Concern* occur south of 32°S from King William’s Town in the east National Red List status (2004) Least Concern to Port Elizabeth in the west, possibly as far as Bredasdorp (Taylor 2013). In the Western Cape, it occurs Reasons for change No change in mountainous winter rainfall areas from the Cape Global Red List status (2016) Least Concern Peninsula to Citrusdal (Taylor 2013). It also occurs in summer rainfall areas of the southern areas of the TOPS listing (NEMBA) (2007) None Drakensberg range (north of 32°S and west of Lesotho) CITES listing None and into the Free State (Taylor 2013). The two disjunct populations in Western Cape and northern Eastern Cape Endemic Yes and Free State may be distinct species, although *Watch-list Data molecular and chromosomal data are currently lacking (Monadjem et al.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cryptic Case of Otomys Sloggetti (Sloggett's Vlei Rat)
    The cryptic case of Otomys sloggetti (Sloggett’s AUTHORS: Thalassa Matthews1 vlei rat): Interpreting murid molar morphology in Turid H. Nel2 the fossil record AFFILIATIONS: 1Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences, Iziko Museums of South Africa, Cape Town, Vlei rats (Family: Muridae; Subfamily: Otomyinae) have a widespread distribution in southern Africa. They South Africa 2SFF Centre for Early Sapiens are favoured prey of barn and spotted eagle owls, and frequently become associated with archaeological Behaviour (SapienCE), University of deposits when the owls roost in cave sites. The phylogeny of several Otomyinae species is enigmatic, Bergen, Bergen, Norway and Otomys sloggetti (Sloggett’s vlei rat) is no exception. This species has been referred to as the ‘ice rat’ CORRESPONDENCE TO: and present distribution ranges are seemingly limited to mountainous areas, at high altitude, in Lesotho, Thalassa Matthews Drakensberg and the Karoo. It was thus surprising and unexpected when specimens closely resembling Otomys sloggetti (identification was based on molar morphology) were found in several archaeological EMAIL: sites on the south and west coasts of South Africa, and also in modern owl pellet assemblages – all [email protected] extralimital to the current reported distribution. However, further examination of and comparison between DATES: these specimens, as well as extensive differences observed between comparative Otomys sloggetti Received: 10 Sep. 2019 specimens from museum collections, highlighted potential problems associated with the common Revised: 01 June 2020 Accepted: 17 July 2020 practice of using tooth morphology to identify fossil murid species. We identified six molar morphotypes Published: 29 Jan. 2021 from the fossil and modern material, all of which bore a morphological resemblance to O.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role and Impact of Zootaxa in Mammalogy in Its First 20 Years
    Zootaxa 4979 (1): 070–094 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) https://www.mapress.com/j/zt/ Review ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2021 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4979.1.10 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:15620BC4-B989-4A98-84D0-019707FF0197 The role and impact of Zootaxa in mammalogy in its first 20 years PEDRO CORDEIRO-ESTRELA¹, ANDERSON FEIJÓ², PHILIPPE GAUBERT³, MARCELO WEKSLER4, LIONEL HAUTIER5,6, PAÚL M. VELAZCO7,8, PABLO TETA9, PIERRE-HENRI FABRE5,6, GERALDINE 10 11 VERON & JANET K. BRAUN 1Laboratório de Mamíferos, Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Campus I, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil. [email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3383-571X 2Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. [email protected]; http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4643-2293 3Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne – Bât. 4R1, 31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France. [email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1375-9935 4Departamento de Vertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. [email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8111-4779 5Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution (ISEM, UMR 5554 CNRS-IRD-UM), Université de Montpellier, Place E. Bataillon - CC 064 - 34095, Montpellier Cedex 5, France. [email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8701-5421 [email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3414-5625 6Mammal Section, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, SW7 5DB London, United Kingdom 7Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogenetic Relationships and Divergence Times in Rodents Based on Both Genes and Fossils Ryan Norris University of Vermont
    University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM Graduate College Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 2009 Phylogenetic Relationships and Divergence Times in Rodents Based on Both Genes and Fossils Ryan Norris University of Vermont Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis Recommended Citation Norris, Ryan, "Phylogenetic Relationships and Divergence Times in Rodents Based on Both Genes and Fossils" (2009). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 164. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/164 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate College Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS AND DIVERGENCE TIMES IN RODENTS BASED ON BOTH GENES AND FOSSILS A Dissertation Presented by Ryan W. Norris to The Faculty of the Graduate College of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Specializing in Biology February, 2009 Accepted by the Faculty of the Graduate College, The University of Vermont, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, specializing in Biology. Dissertation ~xaminationCommittee: w %amB( Advisor 6.William ~il~atrickph.~. Duane A. Schlitter, Ph.D. Chairperson Vice President for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies Date: October 24, 2008 Abstract Molecular and paleontological approaches have produced extremely different estimates for divergence times among orders of placental mammals and within rodents with molecular studies suggesting a much older date than fossils. We evaluated the conflict between the fossil record and molecular data and find a significant correlation between dates estimated by fossils and relative branch lengths, suggesting that molecular data agree with the fossil record regarding divergence times in rodents.
    [Show full text]
  • Otomys Irroratus – Southern African Vlei Rat
    Otomys irroratus – Southern African Vlei Rat lato, the two can be distinguished on morphological and molecular grounds (Taylor et al. 2011). Assessment Rationale Listed as Least Concern because it is widespread within the Fynbos Biome of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, it is present in several protected areas, and has a degree of tolerance for modified habitats. However, the population is expected to show slow declines in the future from climate change, with niche modelling showing that it will undergo a 12–24% reduction in area of occupancy between 1975 and 2050 from climate change. Similarly, Cliff & Suretha Dorse continued habitat loss of wetlands and associated vegetation will lead to a decline in the future. In the Western Cape, already 31% of all wetlands (plus a 32 m Regional Red List status (2016) Least Concern* buffer) and riparian habitats have been lost to agricultural National Red List status (2004) Least Concern expansion. Thus, while we infer that the population is not threatened currently, it should be monitored as it may Reasons for change No change qualify for a threatened category in the future. Key Global Red List status (2008) Least Concern interventions for this species include the conservation and restoration of wetlands and holistic management TOPS listing (NEMBA) (2007) None strategies to curb habitat degradation from overgrazing. CITES listing None Endemic Yes Distribution *Watch-list Threat Otomys species are generally associated with mesic grasslands and moorlands within alpine, montane and Climate change is projected to decrease the sub-montane regions of Southern, Central, East and West range of this species by 12–24% by 2050, which Africa (Monadjem et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Habitat Fragmentation, Patterns of Diversity and Phylogeography of Small Mammal Species in the Albertine Rift
    By PRINCE K.K. KALEME HABITAT FRAGMENTATION, PATTERNS OF DIVERSITY AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF SMALL MAMMAL SPECIES IN THE ALBERTINE RIFT Dissertation presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University Supervisors: Prof. Bettine Jansen van Vuuren Evolutionary Genomics Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa Prof. Rauri C.K. Bowie Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Prof. John M. Bates Department of Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr. Chicago, IL 60605 USA 1 University of Stellenbosch http://scholar.sun.ac.za Declaration The undersigned, Prince K. Kaleme, hereby declares that this dissertation is my own original work and that I have not previously, in its entirety or in part, submitted it for a degree at any academic institution for obtaining any qualification. The experimental work was conducted in the Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium and the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, USA. Date December 2011 ……………………………………………………… PRINCE K.K. KALEME December 2011 Copyright © 2011 University of Stellenbosch All rights reserved i University of Stellenbosch http://scholar.sun.ac.za For Martine, David, Jonathan and Gradi Mum and Dad with love ii University of Stellenbosch http://scholar.sun.ac.za Abstract The Albertine Rift is characterized by a heterogeneous landscape which may, at least in part, drive the exceptional biodiversity found across all taxonomic levels. Notwithstanding the biodiversity and beauty of the region, large areas are poorly understood because of political instability with the inaccessibility of most of the region as a contributing factor.
    [Show full text]
  • Brants' Whistling
    Parotomys brantsii – Brants’ Whistling Rat Goegap Nature Reserve and Tswalu Kalahari Reserve), and because there are no major documented threats that could cause range-wide decline. They are also not exploited by humans. However, this is a species we need to flag as being potentially threatened due to projected aridification from climate change and overgrazing in some areas. This may affect the forage resources on which this species depends, and may be exacerbated by the sensitivity of this rodent to high ambient temperatures that may limit foraging behaviour under hotter conditions. Given that this species displays a patchy distribution and undergoes population irruptions, it may qualify for listing under the C criterion in the future, and will need to be Derek Keats reassessed once more data are generated. We recommend that more research and long-term monitoring of subpopulation trends, geographic distribution and Regional Red List status (2016) Least Concern* threat level are undertaken. National Red List status (2004) Least Concern Regional population effects: The bulk of the population Reasons for change No change exists in South Africa, so extra-regional rescue effect is minimal. It is a rapid disperser over short distances Global Red List status (2016) Least Concern (< 1 km), especially into areas that were recently TOPS listing (NEMBA) (2007) None overgrazed. Long distance dispersal ability is unknown, and would be dependent on corridors of suitable habitat. None CITES listing The successful colonisation of poorly vegetated mine Endemic Near dumps (Desmet & Cowling 1999) suggests an ability to establish in harsh habitats provided deep soils are *Watch-list Threat available.
    [Show full text]
  • Otomys Sloggetti – Sloggett's Vlei
    Otomys sloggetti – Sloggett’s Vlei Rat including the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area, and because it generally occurs in inaccessible habitats unlikely to be transformed. There are no known threats that could cause rapid population decline. Climate change is not suspected to be an emerging threat. Conversely, density has been estimated to have increased threefold in the Lesotho Drakensberg between 1994 and 2006 possibly due to warmer temperatures. Thus, we list as Least Concern. However, continuing habitat degradation from overgrazing, as well as any other identified minor threats, must be monitored. Cliff & Suretha Dorse Distribution It is found at high elevations (> 2,000 m) in the Drakensberg Mountains of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu- Regional Red List status (2016) Least Concern Natal provinces of South Africa as well as Lesotho (Lynch National Red List status (2004) Data Deficient 1994; Monadjem et al. 2015), with isolated subpopulations from mountains in the Karoo, such as in the Sneeuberg Reasons for change Non-genuine: Mountain Complex (Kok et al. 2012), or in dry, semi-desert New information habitats around inselbergs and mountain ranges at Global Red List status (2016) Least Concern > 1,500 m asl. In the Drakensberg Range, O. angoniensis occurs on the lower slopes in savannah habitats, TOPS listing (NEMBA) (2007) None O. auratus and O. laminatus at mid-elevation in grasslands CITES listing None and O. sloggetti at the highest elevations in alpine heath habitats (Monadjem et al. 2015). Endemic Yes Between 1992 and 2006, the density of Sloggett’s Population Vlei Rat has increased threefold from 110 to 352 There have been estimates of the population at over 100 animals / ha in the Lesotho Drakensberg possibly individuals / ha in suitable rocky habitats (Willan 1990).
    [Show full text]
  • Oceanic Islands of Wallacea As a Source for Dispersal and Diversification of Murine Rodents
    Received: 1 April 2019 | Revised: 14 August 2019 | Accepted: 28 August 2019 DOI: 10.1111/jbi.13720 RESEARCH PAPER Oceanic islands of Wallacea as a source for dispersal and diversification of murine rodents Kevin C. Rowe1,2 | Anang S. Achmadi3 | Pierre‐Henri Fabre4 | John J. Schenk5 | Scott J. Steppan6 | Jacob A. Esselstyn7,8 1Sciences Department, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Vic., Australia Abstract 2School of BioSciences, The Univeristy of Aim: To determine the historical dynamics of colonization and whether the relative Melbourne, Parkvillie, Vic., Australia timing of colonization predicts diversification rate in the species‐rich, murine rodent 3Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Center For Biology, Indonesian Institute of communities of Indo‐Australia. Sciences (LIPI), Cibinong, Indonesia Location: Indo‐Australian Archipelago including the Sunda shelf of continental Asia, 4 Institut des Sciences de Sahul shelf of continental Australia, the Philippines and Wallacea of Indonesia. l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Taxon: Order Rodentia, Family Muridae. Montpellier, Montpellier, France Methods: We used a fossil‐calibrated molecular phylogeny and Bayesian biogeo‐ 5Department of Environmental and Plant graphical modelling to infer the frequency and temporal sequence of biogeographical Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA 6Department of Biological Science, Florida transitions among Sunda, Sahul, the Philippines and Wallacea. We estimated diver‐ State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA sification rates for each colonizing lineage using a method‐of‐moments estimator of 7 Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State net diversification and Bayesian mixture model estimates of diversification rate shifts. University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA 8Department of Biological Results: We identified 17 biogeographical transitions, including nine originating from Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Sunda, seven originating from Sulawesi and broader Wallacea and one originating Rouge, LA, USA from Sahul.
    [Show full text]
  • The Input of DNA Sequences to Animal Systematics: Rodents As Study Cases
    6 The Input of DNA Sequences to Animal Systematics: Rodents as Study Cases Laurent Granjon1 and Claudine Montgelard2 1Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement (IRD), CBGP(UMRIRD/INRA/CIRAD/MontpellierSupAgro), Campus de Bel-Air, Dakar, 2Biogéographie et Ecologie des Vertébrés (EPHE), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (UMR 5175 CNRS), Montpellier, Cedex 5 1Senegal 2France 1. Introduction 1.1 General context The advent of molecular techniques, and especially the possibility to get DNA sequences that can then be compared between individuals of any taxon using more and more powerful algorithms of analysis, has represented a kind of revolution in systematics (Lecointre et al., 2006; Giribet et al., 2007). As in other groups, mammalian systematics was for long only based on morphological and anatomical characters. A brief history of Mammal taxonomy has been provided by Wilson & Reeder (2005: xxiii), starting by early works of Trouessart (1898-99, 1904-5) and ending by the compilation by Mc Kenna & Bell (1997). Since the latter, a huge quantity of data including a significant proportion of molecular ones has accumulated, that have greatly improved our view of the relationships between main mammalian groups (Springer et al., 2004), and increased the number of individual species in each of them (Wilson & Reeder, 2005). Rodents represent the most diverse order of Mammals, comprising around 40% of both generic and specific mammalian diversity (Wilson & Reeder, 2005). In one of the first significant contribution to the study of their classification, Tullberg (1899) subdivided them into two suborders, the Sciurognathi and Hystricognathi (see Hautier et al., 2011), based on morpho-anatomical characteristics of their skull.
    [Show full text]