Seasonal changes in burrow geometry of the common mole rat (Rodentia: Bathyergidae)

Thomas, H.G.; Scantlebury, Michael; Swanepoel, De Wet; Bateman, Philip W.; Bennett, Nigel C.

doi:10.1007/s00114-013-1105-7

Cited by 8 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Our results support the work of Thomas et al, (2013) for the social C. h. hottentotus in that the burrow systems of larger colonies were correlated with a larger burrow length and covered a greater area than that of the smaller colonies. The burrow area covered in our study was significantly smaller than others reported for the Damaraland mole-rat in the central Kalahari (Lovegrove, 1988).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…A total of 5 burrows were excavated. The lengths of the burrows and their dimensions were recorded sensu Thomas et al, (2009;2012a;2013) for B. suillus, G. capensis and C.h. hottentotus respectively.…”

Section: Excavation Of Burrow Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fresh mounds were determined by clear casting. The burrow area was determined by creating a convex polygon around the system as in Thomas et al, (2009;2012a;2013).…”

Section: Excavation Of Burrow Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An increasingly complex burrow system is characterised by possessing numerous side branches which run in different directions and thus has a higher fractal dimension value than that of a simple blind-ended tunnel with no side branches. The fractal dimensions for all five burrow systems in this study were calculated using the Fractal Dimension Calculator V 1.2 2010 program as used in Thomas et al 2009;2012a;2013 which is designed to assist with the application of the "box counting" method as in Le Comber et al, (2002) for determining the fractal dimension of a structure.…”

Section: Analysis Of Burrow Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study may provide additional evidence for the assumptions of the foraging model of Lovegrove and Wissel (1988): that larger group size offer adaptive benefits in terms of how thoroughly the surrounding area is explored. The main objective of this study was to investigate and describe the architecture and structural characteristics of five Damaraland mole-rat burrow systems as part of recent ongoing research into foraging behaviour of subterranean rodents (Herbst and Bennett, 2006, Sichilima et al, 2008, Škliba et al 2009, Thomas et al, 2009, 2012a, 2012b, 2013 and foraging efficiency (Le Comber et al, 2002Comber et al, , 2006.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Burrow architecture of the Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis) from South Africa

2016

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The burrow architecture (length, internal dimensions, fractal dimension of tunnel systems, number of nesting chambers and surface mounds) was investigated in the Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis). A total of 31 animals were caught from five different colonies and their burrow systems were excavated in their entirety. The mean and SD colony size was 6 ± 3.3, with a range of 2-10 mole-rats. The sex ratio was male biased 1.21:1. Males had a body mass of 80.5 ± 33.8g, but were not significantly different to those of females which had a mean body mass of 83.4 ± 24.9g. The burrow system of the Damaraland mole-rats follows the same general architectural plan as recorded for other species of mole-rat with either one or two more centrally based deeper more permanent burrows which often connect to a nest area, which is used for resting and rearing offspring. The burrow systems contained several more superficial secondary tunnels at a shallower depth. The secondary tunnels accounted for up to 80% of the total burrow 1 system. The mean length of the burrow system was 130.4m and covered an area of 1403m². The mean number of secondary branches in a burrow system was 10. The mean fractal dimension was 1.154 which implies the mole-rats do not explore their surrounding environment particularly efficiently when compared to that of other mole-rat species, but this may relate to the size of the main food resource, the Eland bean (Elephantorrhiza elephantina) which is randomly distributed and fed on in situ. Our study showed that colony size influences the size and complexity of the burrow system with larger colonies having a longer burrow system covering a greater area with more secondary tunnels than that of smaller colonies.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Excavation Of Burrow Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fresh mounds were determined by clear casting. The burrow area was determined by creating a convex polygon around the system as in Thomas et al, (2009;2012a;2013).…”

Section: Excavation Of Burrow Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Analysis Of Burrow Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Burrow architecture of the Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis) from South Africa

2016

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New insights into morphological adaptation in common mole‐rats (Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus) along an aridity gradient

Merchant,

Portugal,

Bennett

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Morphological adaptation is the change in the form of an organism that benefits the individual in its current habitat. Mole‐rats (family Bathyergidae), despite being subterranean, are impacted by both local and broad‐scale environmental conditions that occur above ground. Common mole‐rats (Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus) present an ideal mammalian model system for the study of morphological variation in response to ecology, as this species is found along an aridity gradient and thus can be sampled from geographically non‐overlapping populations of the same species along an environmental longitudinal cline. Using the mass of five internal organs, ten skeletal measurements and 3D morphometric analyses of skulls, we assessed the morphology of wild non‐breeding individuals from five common mole‐rat populations in South Africa. We found that the body mass and mean relative mass of the spleen and kidneys in arid populations was larger, and individuals from arid regions possessed shorter legs and larger inter‐shoulder widths compared to individuals from mesic regions. Additionally, arid populations demonstrated greater skull depth, and shape change of features such as angular processes of the lower jaw than mesic individuals, indicating that these distinct geographic populations show differences corresponding to the aridity gradient, potentially in response to environmental factors such as the variation in food sources found between different habitats, in addition to different soil compositions found in the different regions. Arid populations potentially require a stronger jaw and neck musculature associated with mastication to chew xeric‐adapted plants and to dig through hard soil types, whereas mesic populations excavate through soft, looser soil and may make use of their front limbs to aid the movement of soils when digging. Aridity influences the morphology of this species and could indicate the impact of environmental changes on speciation and mammalian skull morphology.

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Digging for answers: contributions of density- and frequency-dependent factors on ectoparasite burden in a social mammal

2015

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Due to the density-dependent nature of parasite transmission parasites are generally assumed to constrain the evolution of sociality. However, evidence for a correlation between group size and parasite burden is equivocal, particularly for mammals. Host contact rates may be modified by mobility of the host and parasite as well as social barriers. In the current study, we used the common mole-rat (Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus), a social subterranean rodent, as a model system to investigate the effect of host density and frequency of contact rates on ectoparasite burdens. To address these factors we used a study species that naturally varies in population densities and intergroup contact rates across its geographic range. We found that ectoparasite prevalence, abundance and species richness decreased with increasing host density at a regional scale. At the same time, measures of parasite burden increased with intergroup contact rates. Ectoparasite burdens decreased with colony size at the group level possibly as a result of increased grooming rates. Equating group size with population density might be too simplistic an approach when assessing parasite distributions in social mammals. Our data suggest that frequencydependent mechanisms may play a much greater role at a population level than density-dependent mechanisms in determining parasite distributions in social species. We suggest that future studies should explicitly consider behavioural mechanisms that may affect parasite distribution.

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Seasonal changes in burrow geometry of the common mole rat (Rodentia: Bathyergidae)

Cited by 8 publications

References 34 publications

Burrow architecture of the Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis) from South Africa

Burrow architecture of the Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis) from South Africa

New insights into morphological adaptation in common mole‐rats (Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus) along an aridity gradient

Digging for answers: contributions of density- and frequency-dependent factors on ectoparasite burden in a social mammal

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