A tale of two species: Extirpation and range expansion during the late Quaternary in an extreme environment

Smith, Felisa A.; Crawford, Dolly L.; Harding, Larisa E.; Lease, Hilary M.; Murray, Ian; Raniszewski, Adrienne; Youberg, Kristin M.

doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2008.10.015

Cited by 32 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Bergmann's rule predicts that natural selection favors a larger body in cold environments where temperatures are frequently lower than that of a physiological threshold, and the opposite holds true where it is warmer. This relationship has been supported within and among species of the genus Neotoma (reviewed in Smith et al 2009). However, woodrat size evolution also may be driven by other climatic or ecological factors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…We selected the three climatic variables used by Smith et al (2009) in an N. cinerea ecological niche model: (1) maximum temperature of the warmest month (BIO 5), (2) minimum temperature of the coldest month (BIO 6), and (3) annual mean precipitation (BIO 12). In addition, we included annual mean temperature Anteriormost projection of antorbital bridge of the maxillary 19…”

Section: Data Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From Desert to Rainforest: Phenotypic Variation in Functionally Important Traits of Bushy-Tailed Woodrats (Neotoma cinerea) Across Two Climatic Extremes

Cordero

Epps

2012

J Mammal Evol

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Changes in body size inversely related to ambient temperatures have been described in woodrats (Neotoma) over time scales ranging from decades to millennia. However, climate-mediated variation in other traits has not been evaluated, and the effects of precipitation have been overlooked. We assessed variation in skull morphology among bushytailed woodrats (Neotoma cinerea) over two sampling transects spanning coastal rainforest and interior desert environments to determine whether skull morphology varied with climate. We also tested whether previously described sizetemperature relationships could be generalized to our study populations. In both transects, linear measurements of functionally significant traits differed between coastal and interior populations. Geometric morphometric analyses of shape confirmed some of those differences and revealed additional patterns of skull variation. Variation in some linear measurements, including body size, was predicted by climate. However, body and skull size, as well as measurements of skull components, displayed varying responses. Although longitudinal patterns of body size variation supported Bergmann's rule, skull size variation was only weakly associated with climate. The strongest phenotypic responses to climate were those of auditory, dental, and palatal skull traits. Altogether, our findings suggest that geographic variation in temperature and precipitation mediated selective heterogeneity and plasticity in skull traits associated with food processing and sensory organs in N. cinerea. This was consistent with our expectation of resource-dependent phenotypic variation among populations in environments with highly contrasting climatic regimes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Data Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Desert to Rainforest: Phenotypic Variation in Functionally Important Traits of Bushy-Tailed Woodrats (Neotoma cinerea) Across Two Climatic Extremes

Cordero

Epps

2012

J Mammal Evol

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“…6). In some instances it is evident that these declines were mirrored by phenotypic changes as N. cinerea reacted to Holocene conditions by dwarfing and then through extirpation and replacement by the more desert‐adapted N. lepida (Smith & Betancourt, 2003; Lyman & O’Brien, 2005; Smith et al. , 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4). Likewise, a major assumption of ecological niche modelling, niche stability (Nogués‐Bravo, 2009), may be poorly met by this species considering its presumed quick in situ reaction to past climate change through body size evolution (Smith et al. , 1995, 2009; Smith & Betancourt, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential regional response of the bushy‐tailed woodrat (Neotoma cinerea) to late Quaternary climate change

Hornsby¹,

Matocq²

2011

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim To reconstruct the regional biogeographical history of the bushy-tailed woodrat, Neotoma cinerea (Rodentia: Cricetidae), across its distribution using multiple sources of information, including genetic data, ecological niche models and the palaeorecord.Location Western North America.Methods We analysed complete cytochrome b gene (1143 bp) sequences from 182 specimens of N. cinerea using Bayesian and coalescent methods to infer phylogenetic relationships, time of major divergences, and recent demographic trends. For comparison, we developed clade-specific ecological niche models for groups of interest and analysed spatial trends of N. cinerea in the palaeorecord as well as temporal frequency trends across strata of individual palaeomiddens.Results We found two largely allopatric clades within N. cinerea, with several regionally distinct subclades showing contrasting recent population dynamics. Niche models showed consistent habitat at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and modern times in the Rocky Mountains and northern United States, while the Great Basin may have been markedly less suitable at the LGM than today. The palaeorecord showed great spatio-temporal variability in the presence of N. cinerea, but documents broad-scale patterns of occupancy and regional population trends. Main conclusionsThe Quaternary dynamics and evolutionary history of N. cinerea appear to have been shaped by both vicariant events associated with geographical barriers and the availability of suitable habitat through time. Divergence of the two major clades dates to the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition, with clades separated by the Green and Colorado rivers and northern Rocky Mountain Pleistocene glaciations. We found largely concordant genetic, niche model and palaeorecord patterns suggesting long-term population stability in the Rocky Mountains, while extant clades in the Great Basin and far north appear to have expanded or re-expanded into these regions relatively recently. Furthermore, disjunct haplotype distributions, regional demographic history, and historical distribution of suitable habitat suggest that the Great Basin has been a particularly dynamic region.

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“…Packrat middens that are more than 50,000 years old have been documented (Webb & Betancourt, ). Moreover, previous studies on packrat middens from western North America have demonstrated their value in explaining a 1000‐m elevational shift in juniper in Death Valley, California (Smith et al ., ), during the Pleistocene and early Holocene, and the presence of an extra‐limital population of piñon in northern Colorado that became established there in the late Holocene (Betancourt et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Packrat middens and the Holocene palaeohistory of Colorado piñon (Pinus edulis) in western Colorado

Emslie

Coats

Oleksy

2014

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim Our aim was to determine the age and dispersal history of Colorado piñon (Pinus edulis) in western Colorado during the early to late Holocene using radiocarbon‐dated needles and nutshells from packrat (Neotoma spp.) middens. Location The Uncompahgre Plateau (UP) comprises more than 600,000 ha of public and private lands in west‐central Colorado, USA. Elevations within UP range from 1400 to 3140 m and it is characterized by numerous deep canyons and flat‐topped mesas. The Upper Gunnison Basin (UGB) encompasses a 243,000‐ha area enclosed within the southern Rocky Mountains in south‐western Colorado, USA. It spans 2200–4300 m in elevation, with no outlet apart from the Black Canyon of the Gunnison lower than 2650 m. Methods Middens were sampled by breaking off small sections of solidified deposits located in caves and crevices that were then disaggregated in water with repeated rinsing to separate all the plant remains. Single conifer needles and nutshells from 28 middens were radiocarbon dated to determine the age and timing of dispersal into western Colorado. Results Thirty‐two midden samples were collected, of which 28 produced identifiable plant remains that were radiocarbon dated. Piñon needles and/or nutshells were identified and radiocarbon dated from 20 of these middens from seven localities in UP. The results indicated that piñon did not become established in UP until c. 6000 yr bp, which contrasts with the nearby UGB, where piñon charcoal has been identified from seven archaeological sites with dates ranging from 8000 to 3000 yr bp. Main conclusions Our data are consistent with a model of late Pleistocene/early Holocene piñon migration into the Colorado Plateau from Arizona and New Mexico before becoming established in western Colorado. The timing of the piñon migration into south‐central Colorado along the Rio Grande corridor from New Mexico remains uncertain. While piñon–juniper woodlands currently dominate the lower elevations of UP, piñon had disappeared from UGB by c. 3000 yr bp and remains absent there today except for a few isolated trees.

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A tale of two species: Extirpation and range expansion during the late Quaternary in an extreme environment

Cited by 32 publications

References 64 publications

From Desert to Rainforest: Phenotypic Variation in Functionally Important Traits of Bushy-Tailed Woodrats (Neotoma cinerea) Across Two Climatic Extremes

From Desert to Rainforest: Phenotypic Variation in Functionally Important Traits of Bushy-Tailed Woodrats (Neotoma cinerea) Across Two Climatic Extremes

Differential regional response of the bushy‐tailed woodrat (Neotoma cinerea) to late Quaternary climate change

Packrat middens and the Holocene palaeohistory of Colorado piñon (Pinus edulis) in western Colorado

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