DOCSLIB.ORG

Comparative Morphology of the Dormouse Skull

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Comparative Morphology of the Dormouse Skull bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.23.441073; this version posted April 23, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC 4.0 International license. Title: Comparative morphology of the dormouse skull Author: Jesse J. Hennekam1,2 Affiliations: 1Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands 2Hull York Medical School, University of York, United Kingdom Corresponding author: Jesse J. Hennekam Address: 1Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands 2PalaeoHub, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK Email: [email protected] 1 Comparative morphology of the dormouse skull - Preprint bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.23.441073; this version posted April 23, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC 4.0 International license. Abstract Dormice exhibit both inter- and intrageneric variation in cranial and mandibular morphology. Using geometric morphometrics, the form of eight out of nine extant dormouse genera was analysed, to provide a better understanding of the overall morphological variation present within Gliridae. Three genera representing the subfamilies, were studied in more detail. Species-, genus- and family-specific morphological trends are linked with certain habitats and feeding strategies. Smaller dormice show adaptations to a more arboreal lifestyle such as a relatively enlarged braincase and an inferiorly reoriented foramen magnum. Larger dormice show cranial modifications, including clear flattening of the skull and a more posteriorly positioned foramen magnum, hinting towards a more rupicolous lifestyle. Furthermore, specimens inhabiting arid areas appear to have more inflated auditory bullae, whereas other variable features, such as the length of the incisive foramen, were not associated with either size changes nor climatic variables. Lastly, more robust and horizontally orientated zygomatic arches as well as increased robusticity of the molar row appear to be linked with herbivory in dormice, whereas thinner arches and small concave molars are seen in more insectivorous species. This study results in a better understanding of ecological drivers underpinning the morphological divergence present within Gliridae. Keywords Dormice; Gliridae; Geometric Morphometrics; Allometry; Skull Morphology; Functional Morphology 2 Comparative morphology of the dormouse skull - Preprint bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.23.441073; this version posted April 23, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC 4.0 International license. Introduction Gliridae is considered one of the oldest extant rodent families (Fabre et al., 2012) and consists of nine dormouse genera split over three subfamilies; Glirinae (Glirulis, Glis), Leithiinae (Chaetocauda, Dryomys, Eliomys, Muscardinus, Myomimus and Selevinia), and the monogeneric Graphiurinae (Graphiurus) (Holden-Musser et al., 2016). Dispersed widely throughout Africa and Eurasia, the family occupies various ecological habitats, including tropical forests in Africa and deserts in central Asia. Dormouse species vary significantly in both cranial and mandibular morphology, with some of these morphological variations thought to be related to adaptations to specific habitats and diet (Wahlert et al., 1993; Hennekam et al., 2020a). The fossil record shows the radiation of Gliridae to start during the Early Eocene (Vianey-Liaud, 1994), with the opening of the North Atlantic, and to peak around the late Early Miocene (Daams & de Bruijn, 1995). During this time, dormice were especially abundant and diverse within the Mediterranean area (Hartenberger, 1994), occupying a variety of different ecological niches and exhibiting a great diversity in diet, as evidenced by, for example, the evolution of a hypsodont species (Freudenthal & Martin-Suarez, 2013). The extant dormouse distribution is only a remnant of the success of this family in the past; nonetheless, the various ecological niches occupied by these species today suggest that adaptability to different environments is still retained within the family. Morphological diversification within animals has been thoroughly investigated in an evolutionary context (e.g. Cardini, 2003; Cardini et al., 2004, 2005; Monteiro et al., 2005; Caumul & Polly, 2005; Michaux et al., 2008). However, these studies often only describe morphological variation at a species or genus level (e.g. Cardini et al., 2004; Ferreira-Cardoso et al., 2020). Morphometrics at a family level sometimes requires the analysis of large numbers of specimens to represent the full extent of this taxonomic rank. Despite some families containing only a small number of species, e.g. Castoridae (2 species), Pedetidae (2) and Aplodontiidae (1), many rodent families are quite species-rich (Burgin et al., 2018). Thus, often a subset of these large families is analysed in order to make the study more comprehensible, as has been done, for example, in the case of Sciuridae (Michaux et al., 2008; Lu et al., 2014). A large number of specimens can often necessitate the use of 2D morphometrics, in which the lack of the third dimension can have significant impact on the strength of the conclusions that can be drawn (Roth, 1993; Álvarez & Perez, 2013; Cardini, 2014; Bakkes, 2017). In particular, more subtle (intra- specific) morphological variation is affected by the inaccuracies seen in 2D datasets (Cardini & Chiappelli, 2020). Fortunately, the increased affordability of 3D scanning of osteological material has a clear positive impact on morphometric studies of large 3D datasets (e.g. Marcy et al., 2018, Ferreira- Cardoso et al., 2020). Gliridae is a relatively small family within Rodentia with only 29 species in 9 genera (Holden-Musser et al., 2016), making it a tractable group for analyzing morphological variations with respect to size, phylogeny and ecology at this taxonomic level. Previous studies have analysed the cranium within extant dormice (Wahlert et al., 1993; Daams & de Bruijn, 1995; Koenigswald, 1995; Potapova, 2001; Hautier et al., 2008; Hennekam et al., 2020a) and found large variation in, for example, the zygomasseteric construction, morphology of the auditory bullae, and dental characteristics. In particular, the subfamily Graphiurinae appears to differ significantly from other dormice, resulting in much debate on its phylogenetic position within the family (Winge, 1941; Simpson, 1945; Vianey-Liaud & Jaeger, 1996). Molecular phylogenetic studies have not been conclusive for Gliridae, resulting in the positioning of some genera and species remaining unresolved (Bentz & Montgelard, 1999; Montgelard et al., 2003; Nunome et al., 2007). 3 Comparative morphology of the dormouse skull - Preprint bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.23.441073; this version posted April 23, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC 4.0 International license. Figure 1 Lateral view of crania and mandibles representing all the species used in this study. Colours are associated to datapoints in subsequent figures referring to the genus. The same scale is used for all specimen. 4 Comparative morphology of the dormouse skull - Preprint bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.23.441073; this version posted April 23, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC 4.0 International license. Aims The considerable morphological variation, but relatively low number of species within Gliridae mas it an excellent candidate for a case study investigating adaptive morphological features within a group at species, genus and (sub)family level. Using geometric morphometrics, this study aims to characterise the morphological variation present in the crania and mandibles of dormice and to assess the relationship between morphology and ecology. All but one of the genera comprising Gliridae are represented in the study, resulting in a nearly complete morphological overview of this family. The following three hypotheses will be addressed: Intrageneric morphological variation within dormice is less pronounced than intergeneric variation. Clear morphological variation is present both between (Wahlert et al., 1993; Hennekam et al., 2020a), and within dormouse genera (Storch, 1978 and Figure 1). In order to understand the morphological traits within this family, the extent of this inter- and intrageneric morphological variation will be analysed. Given that certain genera are highly specialized to specific habitats (e.g. the desert dormouse Selevinia), traits that vary between genera are expected. However, intrageneric morphological variation is also expected for specimens occupying various ecoregions. By evaluating the morphological variation
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Classification of Mammals 61
    © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC NOT FORCHAPTER SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION Classification © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC 4 NOT FORof SALE MammalsOR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION. 2ND PAGES 9781284032093_CH04_0060.indd 60 8/28/13 12:08 PM CHAPTER 4: Classification of Mammals 61 © Jones Despite& Bartlett their Learning,remarkable success, LLC mammals are much less© Jones stress & onBartlett the taxonomic Learning, aspect LLCof mammalogy, but rather as diverse than are most invertebrate groups. This is probably an attempt to provide students with sufficient information NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FORattributable SALE OR to theirDISTRIBUTION far greater individual size, to the high on the various kinds of mammals to make the subsequent energy requirements of endothermy, and thus to the inabil- discussions of mammalian biology meaningful.
    [Show full text]
  • Another Species Under Threat from the Grey Squirrel? ESI Newsletter Issue 29 Layout 1 27/10/2014 15:34 Page 3
    ESI newsletter issue 29_Layout 1 27/10/2014 15:34 Page 2 ISSUE 29 OCTOBER 2014 www.europeansquirrelinitiative.org Published by the European Squirrel Initiative Another species under threat from the Grey Squirrel? ESI newsletter issue 29_Layout 1 27/10/2014 15:34 Page 3 Editorial In Brief... In the distant past you may have heard me bemoan a lack of government urgency over the Grey Squirrel problem; but more recently you would have Squirrel been forgiven for detecting a hint of optimism during the tenure of Owen Paterson. He offered a willingness to actually do something to reduce them. Burger So you can imagine what a blow it was huge fee versus a relatively small return when he lost his job. The new Secretary on Warfarin sales. ESI are busily of State, Liz Truss, may well be just as campaigning to try and find a solution as Challenge good, we shall wait and see but what is Warfarin is a critically important control In October the Forest Showcase absolutely certain is that the recently method in large forestry blocks where Food and Drink Festival staged the proposed, and agreed, EU legislation of no Reds exist. If we can enable the Squirrel Burger Challenge in a bid to Invasive Alien Species will definitely help continuation of Warfarin we are going to get the animal onto the British menu. concentrate her mind. recommend that it should be used The competition was held in the ESI has embarked on a new project between October to May, during the Forest Of Dean where more than this summer.
    [Show full text]
  • MC1911 Dormousetranslocation-1
    MAMMAL COMMUNICATIONS Volume 6 ISSN 2056-872X (online) Patrick James © Nick C. Downs, Mike Dean, David Wells, and Alisha Wouters Displacing and translocating hazel dormice Mammal Communications Displacing and translocating hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) as road development mitigation measures. Nick C. Downs1,2*, Mike Dean3, David Wells4, and Alisha Wouters5 ABSTRACT Road development can remove valuable wildlife habitat and reduce habitat connectivity. Where such works impact on European Protected Species in the UK, such as hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius), mitigation is required to satisfy the relevant Statutory Nature Conservation Organisation licensing process. The study described here concerns the removal of dense road verge landscape planting occupied by hazel dormice prior to the construction of a new road junction and slip roads on a dual carriageway in Wales. Pre-construction monitoring started in May 2007, followed by vegetation clearance between August and September. Dormice were displaced into retained habitat through maximum daily vegetation clearance of 30 m lengths (varying widths), in parallel with translocation. This process resulted in the discovery of 48 natural (i.e. not within a nest box) dormouse nests, and the capture of 29 dormice for translocation; 90% were successfully released. Whilst within soft-release cages prior to release, dormice preferred a diet of blackberries (Rubus fruticosus agg.) and freshly picked hazel (Corylus avellana) nuts, prompting a recommendation for early Autumn (mid-August
    [Show full text]
  • Decayed Trees As Resting Places for Japanese Dormouse, Glirulus Japanicus During the Active Period
    Decayed trees as resting places for Japanese dormouse, Glirulus japanicus during the active period HARUKA AIBA, MANAMI IWABUCHI, CHISE MINATO, ATUSHI KASHIMURA, TETSUO MORITA AND SHUSAKU MINATO Keep Dormouse Museum, 3545 Kiyosato, Takane-cho, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 407-0301, Japan Decayed trees were surveyed for their role as a resting place for non-hibernating dormice at two sites, at southwest of Mt. Akadake in Yamanashi Prefecture (35°56’N, 138°25’E). A telemeter located three dormice, which frequently used decayed trees in the daytime, with two at more than 50% of the times. The survey also showed decayed trees made up only about one fourth of all trees present in various conditions in habitat forests. These two data indicated that decayed trees are an important resting place for non-hibernating dormice in the daytime and provide favorable environmental conditions for inhabitation. Using national nut hunt surveys to find protect and raise the profile of hazel dormice throughout their historic range NIDA AL FULAIJ People’s Trust for Endangered Species (list of authors to come) The first Great Nut Hunt (GNH), launched in 1993 had 6500 participants, identifying 334 new sites and thus confirming the presence of dormice in 29 counties in England and Wales. In 2001, 1200 people found 136 sites with positive signs of hazel dormice. The third GNH started in 2009. Over 4000 people registered and to date almost 460 woodland or hedgerow surveys have been carried out, in conjunction with a systematic survey of 286 woodlands on the Isle of Wight. Of the 460 surveys carried out by the general public, 74 found evidence of dormice.
    [Show full text]
  • Diet and Microhabitat Use of the Woodland Dormouse Graphiurus Murinus at the Great Fish River Reserve, Eastern Cape, South Africa
    Diet and microhabitat use of the woodland dormouse Graphiurus murinus at the Great Fish River Reserve, Eastern Cape, South Africa by Siviwe Lamani A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE (ZOOLOGY) in the Faculty of Science and Agriculture at the University of Fort Hare 2014 Supervisor: Ms Zimkitha Madikiza Co-supervisor: Prof. Emmanuel Do Linh San DECLARATION I Siviwe Lamani , student number 200604535 hereby declare that this dissertation titled “Diet and microhabitat use of the woodland dormouse Graphiurus murinus at the Great Fish River Reserve , Eastern Cape, South Africa” submitted for the award of the Master of Science degree in Zoology at the University of Fort Hare, is my own work that has never been submitted for any other degree at this university or any other university. Signature: I Siviwe Lamani , student number 200604535 hereby declare that I am fully aware of the University of Fort Hare policy on plagiarism and I have taken every precaution on complying with the regulations. Signature: I Siviwe Lamani , student number 200604535 hereby declare that I am fully aware of the University of Fort Hare policy on research ethics and have taken every precaution to comply with the regulations. The data presented in this dissertation were obtained in the framework of another project that was approved by the University Ethics committee on 31 May 2013 and is covered by the ethical clearance certificate # SAN05 1SGB02. Signature: ii SUPERVISOR’S FOREWORD The format of this Master’s dissertation (abstract, general introduction and two independent papers) has been chosen with two purposes in mind: first, to train the MSc candidate to the writing of scientific papers, and second, to secure and allow for a quicker dissemination of the scientific knowledge.
    [Show full text]
  • The Beaver's Phylogenetic Lineage Illuminated by Retroposon Reads
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN The Beaver’s Phylogenetic Lineage Illuminated by Retroposon Reads Liliya Doronina1,*, Andreas Matzke1,*, Gennady Churakov1,2, Monika Stoll3, Andreas Huge3 & Jürgen Schmitz1 Received: 13 October 2016 Solving problematic phylogenetic relationships often requires high quality genome data. However, Accepted: 25 January 2017 for many organisms such data are still not available. Among rodents, the phylogenetic position of the Published: 03 March 2017 beaver has always attracted special interest. The arrangement of the beaver’s masseter (jaw-closer) muscle once suggested a strong affinity to some sciurid rodents (e.g., squirrels), placing them in the Sciuromorpha suborder. Modern molecular data, however, suggested a closer relationship of beaver to the representatives of the mouse-related clade, but significant data from virtually homoplasy- free markers (for example retroposon insertions) for the exact position of the beaver have not been available. We derived a gross genome assembly from deposited genomic Illumina paired-end reads and extracted thousands of potential phylogenetically informative retroposon markers using the new bioinformatics coordinate extractor fastCOEX, enabling us to evaluate different hypotheses for the phylogenetic position of the beaver. Comparative results provided significant support for a clear relationship between beavers (Castoridae) and kangaroo rat-related species (Geomyoidea) (p < 0.0015, six markers, no conflicting data) within a significantly supported mouse-related clade (including Myodonta, Anomaluromorpha, and Castorimorpha) (p < 0.0015, six markers, no conflicting data). Most of an organism’s phylogenetic history is fossilized in their heritable genomic material. Using data from genome sequencing projects, particularly informative regions of this material can be extracted in sufficient num- bers to resolve the deepest history of speciation.
    [Show full text]
  • Help Us Find Hazel Dormice
    Help us find hazel dormice People’s Trust for Endangered Species are asking members of the public to help us look for signs of dormice this Autumn and Winter. Dormice are rather sleepy creatures for much of the year. They spend as much as six months of each year in hibernation, curled up safely away from the harshest winter weather, under a pile of leaves in the base of a hedge or tree. Before tucking themselves away, dormice fatten up on fruits, berries and nuts so they have enough energy stored to see them through the winter months of inactivity. Why do we need to know where dormice are? Rhys Owen-Roberts Dormice are declining in the UK. We hope to find more places where dormice are present so that we can help and advise woodland owners on how to look after dormice on their land and monitor their well-being. How do we find dormice? Dormice are normally active at night, so it’s unusual to come across one by chance. Luckily, dormice open hazelnuts in a very specific way to get at the kernel within; so by looking at hazelnuts dropped under hazel trees or shrubs we can tell if there have been dormice around, chomping their way through these nuts. How to get involved We need people to look for dormouse-nibbled hazel nuts and let us know what they find. A nut hunt is very simple and a great way to spend some time outside on an autumnal or wintery day. It can be a fun family activity too.
    [Show full text]
  • The Status and Distribution of Mediterranean Mammals
    THE STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF MEDITERRANEAN MAMMALS Compiled by Helen J. Temple and Annabelle Cuttelod AN E AN R R E IT MED The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ – Regional Assessment THE STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF MEDITERRANEAN MAMMALS Compiled by Helen J. Temple and Annabelle Cuttelod The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ – Regional Assessment The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN or other participating organizations, concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or other participating organizations. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK Copyright: © 2009 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Red List logo: © 2008 Citation: Temple, H.J. and Cuttelod, A. (Compilers). 2009. The Status and Distribution of Mediterranean Mammals. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK : IUCN. vii+32pp. ISBN: 978-2-8317-1163-8 Cover design: Cambridge Publishers Cover photo: Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus © Antonio Rivas/P. Ex-situ Lince Ibérico All photographs used in this publication remain the property of the original copyright holder (see individual captions for details).
    [Show full text]
  • Controlled Animals
    Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Fish and Wildlife Policy Division Controlled Animals Wildlife Regulation, Schedule 5, Part 1-4: Controlled Animals Subject to the Wildlife Act, a person must not be in possession of a wildlife or controlled animal unless authorized by a permit to do so, the animal was lawfully acquired, was lawfully exported from a jurisdiction outside of Alberta and was lawfully imported into Alberta. NOTES: 1 Animals listed in this Schedule, as a general rule, are described in the left hand column by reference to common or descriptive names and in the right hand column by reference to scientific names. But, in the event of any conflict as to the kind of animals that are listed, a scientific name in the right hand column prevails over the corresponding common or descriptive name in the left hand column. 2 Also included in this Schedule is any animal that is the hybrid offspring resulting from the crossing, whether before or after the commencement of this Schedule, of 2 animals at least one of which is or was an animal of a kind that is a controlled animal by virtue of this Schedule. 3 This Schedule excludes all wildlife animals, and therefore if a wildlife animal would, but for this Note, be included in this Schedule, it is hereby excluded from being a controlled animal. Part 1 Mammals (Class Mammalia) 1. AMERICAN OPOSSUMS (Family Didelphidae) Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana 2. SHREWS (Family Soricidae) Long-tailed Shrews Genus Sorex Arboreal Brown-toothed Shrew Episoriculus macrurus North American Least Shrew Cryptotis parva Old World Water Shrews Genus Neomys Ussuri White-toothed Shrew Crocidura lasiura Greater White-toothed Shrew Crocidura russula Siberian Shrew Crocidura sibirica Piebald Shrew Diplomesodon pulchellum 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Checklist of Rodents and Insectivores of the Mordovia, Russia
    ZooKeys 1004: 129–139 (2020) A peer-reviewed open-access journal doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1004.57359 RESEARCH ARTICLE https://zookeys.pensoft.net Launched to accelerate biodiversity research Checklist of rodents and insectivores of the Mordovia, Russia Alexey V. Andreychev1, Vyacheslav A. Kuznetsov1 1 Department of Zoology, National Research Mordovia State University, Bolshevistskaya Street, 68. 430005, Saransk, Russia Corresponding author: Alexey V. Andreychev ([email protected]) Academic editor: R. López-Antoñanzas | Received 7 August 2020 | Accepted 18 November 2020 | Published 16 December 2020 http://zoobank.org/C127F895-B27D-482E-AD2E-D8E4BDB9F332 Citation: Andreychev AV, Kuznetsov VA (2020) Checklist of rodents and insectivores of the Mordovia, Russia. ZooKeys 1004: 129–139. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1004.57359 Abstract A list of 40 species is presented of the rodents and insectivores collected during a 15-year period from the Republic of Mordovia. The dataset contains more than 24,000 records of rodent and insectivore species from 23 districts, including Saransk. A major part of the data set was obtained during expedition research and at the biological station. The work is based on the materials of our surveys of rodents and insectivo- rous mammals conducted in Mordovia using both trap lines and pitfall arrays using traditional methods. Keywords Insectivores, Mordovia, rodents, spatial distribution Introduction There is a need to review the species composition of rodents and insectivores in all regions of Russia, and the work by Tovpinets et al. (2020) on the Crimean Peninsula serves as an example of such research. Studies of rodent and insectivore diversity and distribution have a long history, but there are no lists for many regions of Russia of Copyright A.V.
    [Show full text]
  • Norntates PUBLISHED by the AMERICAN MUSEUM of NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST at 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y
    AMERICAN MUSEUM Norntates PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10024 Number 3157, 44 pp., 14 figures, 8 tables February 14, 1996 Systematic Revision of Sub-Saharan African Dormice (Rodentia: Myoxidae: Graphiurus) Part 1: An Introduction to the Generic Revision, and a Revision of Graphiurus Surdus1 MARY ELLEN HOLDEN2 ABSTRACT African dormice, genus Graphiurus (Rodentia: of Graphiurus surdus, represents the first distilla- Myoxidae), occur from the Cape of Good Hope tion of the large amount of data that has been to Senegal. The genus has never been adequately collected. The completed revision ofthe genus will revised, and thus the species diversity within the form one of the few comprehensive taxonomic genus, interspecific relationships, and biogeogra- revisions for any group ofAfrican rodents in which phy have not been documented. This report con- the intent is to present a reliable estimate ofspecies stitutes the first of seven papers whose collective diversity and document patterns of geographical purpose is to provide a morphological revision of distributions. It will provide a framework for the the genus, explore the phylogenetic relationships future tasks oftesting hypotheses of species limits of species or species groups within the genus, and and interspecific relationships within Graphiurus document biogeographic patterns inferred from using molecular and perhaps other anatomical data, species distributions and relationships. Over 2700 and determining the significance of the docu- museum specimens ofAfrican dormice have been mented geographic distributional patterns relative examined and measured from institutions in the to distributions of other African mammals and United States, Europe, and Africa for this study.
    [Show full text]
  • About the Book the Format Acknowledgments
    About the Book For more than ten years I have been working on a book on bryophyte ecology and was joined by Heinjo During, who has been very helpful in critiquing multiple versions of the chapters. But as the book progressed, the field of bryophyte ecology progressed faster. No chapter ever seemed to stay finished, hence the decision to publish online. Furthermore, rather than being a textbook, it is evolving into an encyclopedia that would be at least three volumes. Having reached the age when I could retire whenever I wanted to, I no longer needed be so concerned with the publish or perish paradigm. In keeping with the sharing nature of bryologists, and the need to educate the non-bryologists about the nature and role of bryophytes in the ecosystem, it seemed my personal goals could best be accomplished by publishing online. This has several advantages for me. I can choose the format I want, I can include lots of color images, and I can post chapters or parts of chapters as I complete them and update later if I find it important. Throughout the book I have posed questions. I have even attempt to offer hypotheses for many of these. It is my hope that these questions and hypotheses will inspire students of all ages to attempt to answer these. Some are simple and could even be done by elementary school children. Others are suitable for undergraduate projects. And some will take lifelong work or a large team of researchers around the world. Have fun with them! The Format The decision to publish Bryophyte Ecology as an ebook occurred after I had a publisher, and I am sure I have not thought of all the complexities of publishing as I complete things, rather than in the order of the planned organization.
    [Show full text]