2011
DOI: 10.1007/s13364-011-0059-4
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Burrow architecture, family composition and habitat characteristics of the largest social African mole-rat: the giant mole-rat constructs really giant burrow systems

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Cited by 48 publications
(48 citation statements)
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“…Previous studies investigating fractal dimensions of mole-rat burrow systems have primarily focused on associations between environmental characteristics (namely seasonal differences) and burrow structure (Spinks & Plaganyi, 1999;Sumbera et al, 2003Sumbera et al, , 2012Sichilima et al, 2008;Thomas et al, 2009;. The current study indicates that relatively low fractal dimensions were found both in winter and summer in a mesic region.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 47%
“…Previous studies investigating fractal dimensions of mole-rat burrow systems have primarily focused on associations between environmental characteristics (namely seasonal differences) and burrow structure (Spinks & Plaganyi, 1999;Sumbera et al, 2003Sumbera et al, , 2012Sichilima et al, 2008;Thomas et al, 2009;. The current study indicates that relatively low fractal dimensions were found both in winter and summer in a mesic region.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 47%
“…Nevertheless, there are at least two reasons to expect that giant mole-rat family groups would have smaller home ranges than the groups of the other two species. First, the giant mole-rat inhabits mesic environments with relatively high food supply [16], [25] whereas the other two species live in arid regions were food density or food biomass is usually low (for recent review see [26]). Second, the other two species can reach higher family group sizes than the giant mole-rat (cf.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Giant mole-rats live in family groups of around ten individuals [16], [17] which typically consist of a single breeding pair and its non-breeding offspring. As in other social mole-rats, the family members are supposed to cooperate in energetically costly work tasks such as excavation of new tunnels in order to locate food resources (underground storage organs of plants), carrying food items into food stores and pushing excavated soil into aboveground mounds or into older unused tunnels of their burrow system [7].…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The burrow systems usually have long-lasting communal nests and axial tunnels providing access to areas where they branch into shallower foraging tunnels222324. In some mole-rat species, the burrow systems of neighbouring groups can be interconnected by open or partially blocked tunnels, thus forming vast communication networks2225.…”
mentioning
confidence: 99%