The zoogeomorphic characteristics of burrows and burrowing by nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus)

Sawyer, Carol F.; Brinkman, Donald C.; Walker, Vincent D.; Covington, Tyler D.; Stienstraw, Elizabeth A.

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2012.01.028

Cited by 28 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Deep soil nutrients can be brought to the surface by activity such as burrowing and building (Haussmann 2016). Both heavily hunted vertebrates, such as aardvarks in Africa (Haussmann 2016) or armadillos in the Americas (Sawyer et al 2012), and invertebrates such as mound-building termites throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Amazonia (Anankware et al 2014), are capable of zoogeomorphy. Termites in particular, as well as being important NTFP food species, are well known for creating longlived, nutrient-and clay-rich patches that become sites for colonization by particular suites of plant and fungal species.…”

Section: Nutrient Cyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nontimber forest products as ecological and biocultural keystone species

Shackleton¹,

Ticktin²,

Cunningham³

2018

E&S

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Nontimber forests products (NTFPs) are the mainstay of rural livelihoods and local economies the world over. As such they are of interest to a wide disciplinary range of researchers and development and government agencies seeking to promote livelihoods, incomes, and ecologically sustainable practices. With the attention on the various human uses of NTFPs, their role and networks in the broader biological communities in which they are located are frequently overlooked. Harvesting of many NTFPs has effects not only at the organism and population scales, but also on co-occurring species, some of which may also be NTFPs. Thus, reduction or loss of one NTFP population or species in a specific area may have cascade effects on other NTFP species, including those used for cultural purposes. We illustrate the little appreciated importance of NTFPs in broader ecological and social systems by assessing and illustrating the importance of NTFP species as ecological or biocultural keystones in providing regulating and supporting ecological services to other species and cultural services to people. We present a number of examples where NTFP species act as keystones in ecological and cultural systems, including food, pollination and dispersal, animal health, nutrients, shelter and protection, and cultural symbolism, most of which have not been considered by NTFP researchers and practitioners. From these examples we distill six propositions regarding NTFPs and discuss the value of recognizing some NTFPs as biocultural keystones to acknowledge and highlight their roles at broader scales.

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Section: Nutrient Cyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nontimber forest products as ecological and biocultural keystone species

Shackleton¹,

Ticktin²,

Cunningham³

2018

E&S

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“…Armadillos (Mammalia: Xenarthra: Dasypodidae; Figures 1, 2) are well-known burrowers whose tunnels have been extensively studied in relation to dwelling and nesting behaviors (e.g., Taulman, 1994;Butler, 1995;Melchor et al, 2012;Sawyer et al, 2012;Martin, 2013;Loughry and McDonough, 2013). Little ichnological attention, however, has been given to the pits produced by armadillos when they are actively foraging, the behavior that occupies most of their time on the surface (Loughry and McDonough, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The foraging pits of the nine-banded armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus (Mammalia: Xenarthra: Dasypodidae), and implications for interpreting conical trace fossils

Platt

2014

Palaeontologia Electronica

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The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is a well known burrower, but individuals spend the majority of their time above ground foraging for soil organisms by repeatedly digging pits through the soil surface. Little ichnological attention has been given to these foraging pits even though their great prevalence within the geographic range of extant armadillos implies that they might have a trace fossil record in paleosols extending back to at least the Paleocene. This research describes the foraging pits constructed by D. novemcinctus with implications for recognition and interpretation of similar conical trace fossils. Field observations yielded an association between one large-diameter (41 cm wide) dwelling burrow, three relatively short, straight shelter burrows (up to 19 cm wide and 38 cm long), and abundant variously sized foraging pits (up to 18 cm wide and 14.5 cm deep). Plaster casts of foraging pits showed that most were asymmetrical, vertically oriented, downward-tapering elliptical cones (width>depth), with smooth to coarsely dimpled walls and common elongate, parallel grooves, isolated curved grooves, and distinct paired grooves, resulting from scratching with the elongated middle two digits of the forelimb. Digital models of plaster casts are used to quantify several aspects, including a new property, conicality. Relative compactness and volume exploited indicate that surface pits are more efficient for soil foraging than subterranean burrows. Recognition of fossil armadillo foraging pits would enable paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic interpretations analogous to the habitats and ranges of extant armadillos. Conical trace fossils in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation are potential examples of ancient vertebrate foraging pits, although they are not attributable to armadillos because of their age.

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“…First, MUSM-7504 was a female with four embryos, suggesting that this species might exhibit polyembryony with identical quadruplets, like D. novemcinctus (McBee & Baker, 1982). Second, MSB-49990 was a juvenile caught on a ridge top, in a hole with three other individuals, indicating that D. pilosus may inhabit high elevations and build burrows, like other Dasypus armadillos (Sawyer, Brinkman, Walker, Covington, & Stienstraw, 2012;Trovati, 2015). Also, since MSB-49990 was a juvenile sharing the burrow with three other individuals, it is possible that they were from the same litter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hiding in a Cool Climatic Niche in the Tropics? An Assessment of the Ecological Biogeography of Hairy Long-Nosed Armadillos (Dasypus pilosus)

Feng

Castro

McBee

et al. 2017

Tropical Conservation Science

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The hairy long-nosed armadillo (Dasypus pilosus) is endemic to the Andes in Peru and rarely studied, thus more investigations are needed. To gain a better understanding of this species' distribution and to facilitate future surveys and conservation management, we compiled available information on specimens of D. pilosus, provided an ecological biogeography perspective of these specimens, and estimated suitable areas for D. pilosus using ecological niche modeling. We compiled 25 specimen records from six departments in Peru and extracted the climatic and elevation conditions for records with coordinates. We concluded that D. pilosus may occupy relatively high elevation sites, hiding in a relatively cool climatic niche at tropical latitude. We suggested possible upper and lower temperature limits for D. pilosus and lower precipitation limit for the genus Dasypus. The ecological niche model estimated that about half of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) range map was not suitable for D. pilosus and predicted additional suitable areas outside the IUCN range map in Amazonas and Cajamarca departments, Peru. We recommend that future field surveys or conservation management efforts prioritize regions associated with suitable areas predicted by our model and with species' available records (e.g., Río Abiseo).

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The zoogeomorphic characteristics of burrows and burrowing by nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus)

Cited by 28 publications

References 46 publications

Nontimber forest products as ecological and biocultural keystone species

Nontimber forest products as ecological and biocultural keystone species

The foraging pits of the nine-banded armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus (Mammalia: Xenarthra: Dasypodidae), and implications for interpreting conical trace fossils

Hiding in a Cool Climatic Niche in the Tropics? An Assessment of the Ecological Biogeography of Hairy Long-Nosed Armadillos (Dasypus pilosus)

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