Behavioral responses of two small‐sized rodents, <i>Phyllotis vaccarum</i> and <i>Abrothrix andina</i>, to energy challenges of high‐altitude habitats in the Andes Mountains

Ruperto, Emmanuel Fabián; Menéndez, Josefina; Taraborelli, Paula Andrea; Scattolón, Federico Omar; Sassi, Paola Lorena

doi:10.1111/eth.13350

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 109 publications

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“…We also predicted that (H 2 ) species distributed in different habitat type, such as C. glareolus, which are adapted to diverse and variable environmental conditions [30][31] [32] , would have shown high inter-specific variability in the level of boldness. In fact, these adaptations would allow them to respond more quickly to variable and changing environments [33] . Finally, we predicted a sex-dependent effect on boldness, as previously found for A. flavicollis [34] , where males are more exploratory than females given their greater reproductive potential (H 3 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Escape tendency and the mobility behavior of four alpine rodents do not change with altitude

Cerri,

Melcore,

Gargano

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Behavioural responses are particularly important to quantify species-specific habitat influences on natural selection. Mountains, with their wide range of habitats, can be regarded as a valuable context where the environmental conditions influence animal behaviour. We studied the inter-specific variation in the escape tendency and the mobility behaviour in four alpine rodents’ species, a bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) and three Apodemus mice, to evaluate the level of boldness and its variation with elevation. Analyses with generalized linear models revealed that the two groups of rodents (Clethrionomys vs. Apodemus) differed in both these traits. During arena tests, the latency time to first jump, an index of escape behaviour, was approximately 42% lower in Apodemus than in C. glareolus, in which 46.2% of individuals did not jump during the whole experiment. Also, the mobility, measured as the distance travelled, was 55% lower in C. glareolus compared to Apodemus. However, the leave-one-out cross validation did not detect any effect of elevation, neither on the distance travelled, nor on the latency time to the first jump. The apparent absence of elevation influence on the behaviors here considered, could indicate the presence of a genetic basis that regulates their expression in such species. These results can be interpreted in the context of differential habitat use and microhabitat segregation due to interspecific competition. In fact, the differentiation of niches (spatial, trophic and temporal) between the two taxa may have led to differences in behavioural traits.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Escape tendency and the mobility behavior of four alpine rodents do not change with altitude

Cerri,

Melcore,

Gargano

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Spatio-temporal variability in the feeding strategy of Andean rodents: the role of ambient temperature and food availability

et al. 2023

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Diet of Andean leaf-eared mice (Phyllotis) living at extreme elevations on Atacama volcanoes: insights from metagenomics, DNA metabarcoding, and stable isotopes

Quezada-Romegialli,

Quiroga-Carmona,

D’Elía

et al. 2024

Preprint

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On the flanks of >6000 m Andean volcanoes that tower over the Atacama Desert, leaf-eared mice (Phyllotis vaccarum) live at extreme elevations that surpass known vegetation limits. What the mice eat in these barren, hyperarid environments has been the subject of much speculation. According to the arthropod fallout hypothesis, sustenance is provided by windblown insects that accumulate in snowdrifts ('aolian deposits'). It is also possible that mice feed on saxicolous lichen or forms of cryptic vegetation that have yet to be discovered at such high elevations. We tested hypotheses about the diet of mice living at extreme elevations on Atacama volcanoes by combining metagenomic and DNA metabarcoding analyses of gut contents with stable-isotope analyses of mouse tissues. Genomic analyses of contents of the gastrointestinal tract of a live-captured mouse from the 6739 m summit of Volcán Llullaillaco revealed evidence for an opportunistic but purely herbivorous diet, including lichens. Although we found no evidence of animal DNA in gut contents of the summit mouse, stable isotope data indicate that mice native to elevations at or near vegetation limits (~5100 m) include a larger fraction of animal prey in their diet than mice from lower elevations. Some plant species detected in the gut contents of the summit mouse are known to exist at lower elevations at the base of the volcano and in the surrounding Altiplano, suggesting that such plants may occur at higher elevations beneath the snowpack or in other cryptic microhabitats.

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Behavioral responses of two small‐sized rodents, Phyllotis vaccarum and Abrothrix andina, to energy challenges of high‐altitude habitats in the Andes Mountains

Cited by 3 publications

References 109 publications

Escape tendency and the mobility behavior of four alpine rodents do not change with altitude

Escape tendency and the mobility behavior of four alpine rodents do not change with altitude

Spatio-temporal variability in the feeding strategy of Andean rodents: the role of ambient temperature and food availability

Diet of Andean leaf-eared mice (Phyllotis) living at extreme elevations on Atacama volcanoes: insights from metagenomics, DNA metabarcoding, and stable isotopes

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