Lability of Tail Length of the White-Footed Mouse, Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis

Thorington, Richard W.

doi:10.2307/1378531

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Differences in tail length between the arid species compared to the two mesic Rhabdomys species may be related to adaptation to climatic or habitat conditions (Yom-Tov 1993), or to multiple factors as proposed for other rodent species (Baker & Cockrem 1970, Thorington 1970. In a review of mammal tail function (Hickman 1979), the tail was suggested to be used for balance and climbing in rodents, based on direct and experimental observations.…”

Section: A Taxonomically Informative Phenotypic Traitmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a review of mammal tail function (Hickman 1979), the tail was suggested to be used for balance and climbing in rodents, based on direct and experimental observations. Tail length was proposed to vary with habitat complexity and climbing abilities in Peromyscus species, with populations occurring in grassland type habitats having shorter tails than populations occurring in woodlands and showing arboreal capabilities (Thorington 1970, Kaufman & Kaufman 1992. More detailed research is needed before considering tail length as an adaptive trait in Rhabdomys.…”

Section: A Taxonomically Informative Phenotypic Traitmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An update on the distribution and diversification of Rhabdomys sp. (Muridae, Rodentia)

Ganem

Dufour

Avenant

et al. 2020

Journal of Vertebrate Biology

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Section: A Taxonomically Informative Phenotypic Traitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: A Taxonomically Informative Phenotypic Traitmentioning

confidence: 99%

An update on the distribution and diversification of Rhabdomys sp. (Muridae, Rodentia)

Ganem

Dufour

Avenant

et al. 2020

Journal of Vertebrate Biology

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“…Tails are a conspicuously diverse appendage among mammals, and tail length is one of the most noticeable and well-studied aspects of its morphological variation [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. The presence of a tail is the vertebrate ancestral condition [1,9], and variation in tail length relative to head and body length (as well as tail presence versus absence) varies widely among mammals and is both functionally and phylogenetically informative [10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Substrate use drives the macroevolution of mammalian tail length diversity

Mincer

Russo

2020

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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External length is one of the most conspicuous aspects of mammalian tail morphological diversity. Factors that influence the evolution of tail length diversity have been proposed for particular taxa, including habitat, diet, locomotion and climate. However, no study to date has investigated such factors at a large phylogenetic scale to elucidate what drives tail length evolution in and across mammalian lineages. We use phylogenetic comparative methods to test a priori hypotheses regarding proposed factors influencing tail length, explore possible interactions between factors using evolutionary best-fit models, and map evolutionary patterns of tail length for specific mammalian lineages. Across mammals, substrate use is a significant factor influencing tail length, with arboreal species maintaining selection for longer tails. Non-arboreal species instead exhibit a wider range of tail lengths, secondarily influenced by differences in locomotion, diet and climate. Tail loss events are revealed to occur in the context of both long and short tails and influential factors are clade dependent. Some mammalian groups (e.g. Macaca ; primates) exhibit elevated rates of tail length evolution, indicating that morphological evolution may be accelerated in groups characterized by diverse substrate use, locomotor modes and climate.

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“…Previous studies suggested an important role for tail use in arboreal locomotion by demonstrating that tail amputation in mice dramatically decreases balance (Horner 1954, Buck et al 1925, Siegel 1970). Based on these data, a clear hypothesis emerged: naturally evolved tail-length differences in deer mice may be important for performance in arboreal climbing (Horner 1954, Thorington 1970, Kaufman & Kaufman 1992). Recent biomechanical modeling suggests that the longer, heavier tails allow forest deer mice to better control their body roll, as when traversing narrow rods (Hager & Hoekstra 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Importantly, these findings are all consistent with the hypothesis of divergent selection acting on tail length: that not only are long tails favored in forest habitat, but also short tails are favored in prairie habitat. In the latter case, long tails are likely costly to produce, are a source of heat loss, can be subject to injury, and/or may be an additional target for predation (Thorington 1970, Shargal et al 1999, Hayssen 2008); therefore, without the benefit of, for example, improving climbing performance, the cost of having a long tail outweighs the benefit in terrestrial mice inhabiting open, prairie habitats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive tail-length evolution in deer mice is associated with differential Hoxd13 expression in early development

Kingsley

Hager

Lassance

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Variation in the size and number of axial segments underlies much of the diversity in animal body plans. Here, we investigate the evolutionary, genetic, and developmental mechanisms driving tail-length differences between forest and prairie ecotypes of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). We first show that long-tailed forest mice perform better in an arboreal locomotion assay, consistent with tails being important for balance during climbing. The long tails of these forest mice consist of both longer and more caudal vertebrae than prairie mice. Using quantitative genetics, we identify six genomic regions that contribute to differences in total tail length, three of which associate with vertebra length and the other three with vertebra number. For all six loci, the forest allele increases tail length, consistent with the cumulative effect of natural selection. Two of the genomic regions associated with variation in vertebra number contain Hox gene clusters. Of those, we find an allele-specific decrease in Hoxd13 expression in the embryonic tail bud of long-tailed forest mice, consistent with its role in axial elongation. Additionally, we find that forest embryos have more presomitic mesoderm than prairie embryos, and that this correlates with an increase in the number of neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs), which are modulated by Hox13 paralogs. Together, these results suggest a role for Hoxd13 in the development of natural variation in adaptive morphology on a microevolutionary timescale.

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Lability of Tail Length of the White-Footed Mouse, Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis

Cited by 13 publications

References 14 publications

An update on the distribution and diversification of Rhabdomys sp. (Muridae, Rodentia)

An update on the distribution and diversification of Rhabdomys sp. (Muridae, Rodentia)

Substrate use drives the macroevolution of mammalian tail length diversity

Adaptive tail-length evolution in deer mice is associated with differential Hoxd13 expression in early development

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