Diet, bite force and skull morphology in the generalist rodent morphotype

Maestri, Renan; Patterson, Bruce D.; Fornel, Rodrigo; Monteiro, Leandro R.; Freitas, Thales Renato Ochotorena de

doi:10.1111/jeb.12937

Cited by 92 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 68 publications

(118 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Analyzing bite force, Maestri et al. () found that only insectivorous sigmodontines differed strongly from other diet classes, suggesting that sigmodontines are mostly generalists with respect to this feature. More extensive ecomorphological associations, in terms of both traits and taxonomic sampling, are needed to shed light on the question of how adaptive was the sigmodontine radiation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The ecology of a continental evolutionary radiation: Is the radiation of sigmodontine rodents adaptive?

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Evolutionary radiations on continents are less well-understood and appreciated than those occurring on islands. The extent of ecological influence on species divergence can be evaluated to determine whether a radiation was ultimately the outcome of divergent natural selection or else arose mainly by nonecological divergence. Here, we used phylogenetic comparative methods to test distinct hypotheses corresponding to adaptive and nonadaptive evolutionary scenarios for the morphological evolution of sigmodontine rodents. Results showed that ecological variables (diet and life-mode) explain little of the shape and size variation of sigmodontine skulls and mandibles. A Brownian model with varying rates for insectivory versus all other diets was the most likely evolutionary model. The insectivorous sigmodontines have a faster rate of morphological evolution than mice feeding on other diets, possibly due to stronger selection for features that aid insectivory. We also demonstrate that rapid early-lineage diversification is not accompanied by high morphological divergence among subclades, contrasting with island results. The geographic size of continents permits spatial segregation to a greater extent than on islands, allowing for allopatric distributions and escape from interspecific competition. We suggest that continental radiations of rodents are likely to produce a pattern of high species diversification coupled with a low degree of phenotypic specialization.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The ecology of a continental evolutionary radiation: Is the radiation of sigmodontine rodents adaptive?

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Specifically, we examined evolution of mandibular morphology, because mandibular shape serves as a proxy for dietary niche, particularly with respect to differences associated with specialization on consuming invertebrates, seeds, or foliage (Grossnickle and Polly ; Maestri et al. ; Verde Arregoitia et al. ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Tempo and mode of mandibular shape and size evolution reveal mixed support for incumbency effects in two clades of island‐endemic rodents (Muridae: Murinae)*

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Existing radiations in a spatially limited system such as an oceanic island may limit the ecological opportunity experienced by later colonists, resulting in lower macroevolutionary rates for secondary radiations. Additionally, potential colonists may be competitively excluded by these incumbent (resident) species, unless they are biologically distinct (biotic filtering). The extant phenotypic diversity of secondary colonists may thus be impacted by lower rates of phenotypic evolution, exclusion from certain phenotypes, and transitions to new morphotypes to escape competition from incumbent lineages. We used geometric morphometric methods to test whether the rates and patterns of mandibular evolution of the Luzon “old endemic” rodent clades, Phloeomyini and Chrotomyini, are consistent with these predictions. Each clade occupied nearly completely separate shape space and partially separate size space. We detected limited support for decelerating and clade‐specific evolutionary rates for both shape and size, with strong evidence for a shift in evolutionary mode within Chrotomyini. Our results suggest that decelerating phenotypic evolutionary rates are not a necessary result of incumbency interactions; rather, incumbency effects may be more likely to determine which clades can become established in the system. Nonincumbent clades that pass a biotic filter can potentially exhibit relatively unfettered evolution.

show abstract

“…Previous studies have showed that skull morphology of different mammal groups, including rodents, is associated with diet (Wroe & Milne, ; Samuels, ; Maestri et al ., ; McLean et al ., ). However, this influence seems not to be preponderant for the rodents evaluated in our study, especially considering the dorsal view of the cranium.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The lack of phylogenetic signal in the dorsal cranium view, however, suggests that features of this cranium view may be more related to ecological factors (e.g. Wroe & Milne, ; Samuels, ; Maestri et al ., ) than to the inherited characteristics of each group (evolutionary history). In any case, after controlling for phylogenetic and allometric effects on both cranial shape views, a strong relation between cranial morphology and arboreal activity arose.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cranial shape predicts arboreal activity of Sigmodontinae rodents

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Brain enlargement is an adaptation in animals that use the space in three dimensions and need to integrate information of complex environments. As consequence, this adaptation can result in differences in skull shape among species with different types of locomotion and level of arboreality. We directly tested for the relation between the cranial shape and arboreality (based on field data) of 11 Sigmodontinae rodent species from a Neotropical savanna (Cerrado). For that, we used geometric morphometrics considering both dorsal and lateral views of the cranium. We also accounted for any possible allometric effects (i.e. the relationship between size and shape) and evolutionary constraints (i.e. phylogenetic signal) on the cranial shape. The dorsal view presented strong allometric effects but no phylogenetic signal. On the other hand, the lateral view showed a weak allometric effect and a significant phylogenetic signal. After controlling for size and evolutionary constraints, we found significant relationships between rodent arboreality and cranial shape for both lateral (r2 = 0.74) and dorsal cranium views (r2 = 0.40). Patterns for both views showed that arboreal rodents present more expanded crania, suggesting larger brains. The dorsal view showed a general cranial expansion in arboreal rodents, whereas the lateral view showed a more rounded and posteriorly expanded cranium. This later suggests a larger cerebellum, an important brain portion responsible for orientation and sense of balance. Our study provides evidence that the cranial shape can be used as a proxy to infer arboreal activity of sigmodontine rodents. Moreover, the observed differences in cranial shape between arboreal and terrestrial species are probably related to brain enlargement in the former driven by the need to cope with a three‐dimensional environment.

show abstract

Diet, bite force and skull morphology in the generalist rodent morphotype

Cited by 92 publications

References 68 publications

The ecology of a continental evolutionary radiation: Is the radiation of sigmodontine rodents adaptive?

The ecology of a continental evolutionary radiation: Is the radiation of sigmodontine rodents adaptive?

Tempo and mode of mandibular shape and size evolution reveal mixed support for incumbency effects in two clades of island‐endemic rodents (Muridae: Murinae)*

Cranial shape predicts arboreal activity of Sigmodontinae rodents

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About