The effect of rainfall on population dynamics in Sahara-Sahel rodents

Barros, Margarida; Brito, José Carlos; Mappes, Tapio; Qninba, Abdeljebbar; Sousa, Fábio Vieira; Boratyński, Zbyszek

doi:10.1007/s13364-018-0377-x

Cited by 16 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Although it was based on the best available data and on the knowledge accumulated over nearly 20 years of field surveys, there are still several uncertainties associated with the data needed to apply the IUCN Red List criteria [ 37 ]. These include knowledge gaps in most species about spatial and temporal dynamics in population size, fragmentation and trends, which can undergo changes related to short (seasonal) and long term (climate change) oscillations [ 95 ]. Additional field surveys together with long-term monitoring data on population demographic trends are essential for estimating patterns in this arid region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity, distribution and conservation of land mammals in Mauritania, North-West Africa

Brito

Sow²,

Vale

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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Detailed knowledge about biodiversity distribution is critical for monitoring the biological effects of global change processes. Biodiversity knowledge gaps hamper the monitoring of conservation trends and they are especially evident in the desert biome. Mauritania constitutes a remarkable example on how remoteness and regional insecurity affect current knowledge gaps. Mammals remain one of the least studied groups in this country, without a concerted species checklist, the mapping of regions concentrating mammal diversity, or a national assessment of their conservation status. This work assessed the diversity, distribution, and conservation of land mammals in Mauritania. A total of 6,718 published and original observations were assembled in a spatial database and used to update the occurrence status, distribution area, and conservation status. The updated taxonomic list comprises 107 species, including 93 extant, 12 Regionally Extinct, and 2 Extinct in the Wild. Mapping of species distributions allowed locating concentrations of extant mammal species richness in coastal areas, along the Senegal River valley, and in mountain plateaus. Recent regional extinction of large-sized Artiodactyla and Carnivora has been very high (11% extinct species). From the extant mammals, 11% are threatened, including flagship species (e.g., Addax nasomaculatus and Panthera pardus). Species richness is poorly represented by the current protected areas. Despite the strong advances made, 23% of species categorise as Data Deficient. Persisting systematics and distribution uncertainties require further research. Field surveys in currently unexplored areas (northern and south-eastern regions) are urgently needed to increase knowledge about threatened mammals. The long-term conservation of land mammals in Mauritania is embedded in a complex web of socioeconomic and environmental factors that call for collaborative action and investment in sustainable human development. The current work sets the baseline for the future development of detailed research studies and to address the general challenges faced by mammals and biodiversity in the country.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity, distribution and conservation of land mammals in Mauritania, North-West Africa

Brito

Sow²,

Vale

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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“…The fur of two Gerbillus species (G. tarabuli, G. amoenus) matched the habitat brightness of the relatively recent time. This could correspond to 1-2 years delayed effect of population growth in Gerbillus rodents, responding to habitat productivity after substantial rainfall in the Sahara-Sahel (Barros et al, 2018). Thus, the selection and adaptation observed on individuals might be related to past rather than current habitat structure (Morente-Lopez et al, 2020) and temporal scale can play a determinant role in adaptation (Fox et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of spatial and temporal scale on camouflage in North African rodents

Macedo

Campos

Nokelainen

et al. 2022

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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Background matching, a common form of camouflage, is a widespread anti-predator adaptation that hinders detection or recognition by increasing the resemblance of prey to its environment. However, the natural environment is complex and both spatially and temporally variable, which constrains effective background matching as an anti-predator strategy. Here, using remote sensing data (publicly available satellite imagery), we investigated how variation of habitat parameters predicts background matching in 16 Sahara–Sahel rodent species across spatial and temporal scales. All fur colour parameters (hue, saturation and brightness) strongly matched the respective habitats of the different species. Background matching in terms of hue was best at the microscale, whereas results for saturation and brightness showed more variation across spatial scales among species. Camouflage across the temporal scale (from 1 to 3 years before capture) was variable among species for all colour parameters. These complex interactions suggest that, in desert rodents, colour parameters are differentially sensitive to the respective scale of the habitat, plausibly reflecting the behaviour and life history of the species and the ecological properties determining their activity patterns. Consequently, the division between habitat (camouflage) generalists and specialists might become blurred in temporally changing and spatially variable environments.

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“…1). Tissue samples were collected from road-killed (n = 126) and live trapped animals (n = 26) during several field expeditions in North-West Africa or received from collaborators between November 2011 and February 2015 ( [54,56,57]; Additional file 1: Table S4). From the 26 livecaptured animals, 14 were anesthetised using a recommended dosage of isoflurane followed by cervical dislocation for euthanasia [56].…”

Section: Sampling and Dna Extractionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary history of two cryptic species of northern African jerboas

et al. 2020

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Background: Climatic variation and geologic change both play significant roles in shaping species distributions, thus affecting their evolutionary history. In Sahara-Sahel, climatic oscillations shifted the desert extent during the Pliocene-Pleistocene interval, triggering the diversification of several species. Here, we investigated how these biogeographical and ecological events have shaped patterns of genetic diversity and divergence in African Jerboas, desert specialist rodents. We focused on two sister and cryptic species, Jaculus jaculus and J. hirtipes, where we (1) evaluated their genetic differentiation, (2) reconstructed their evolutionary and demographic history; (3) tested the level of gene flow between them, and (4) assessed their ecological niche divergence. Results: The analyses based on 231 individuals sampled throughout North Africa, 8 sequence fragments (one mitochondrial and seven single copy nuclear DNA, including two candidate genes for fur coloration: MC1R and Agouti), 6 microsatellite markers and ecological modelling revealed: (1) two distinct genetic lineages with overlapping distributions, in agreement with their classification as different species, J. jaculus and J. hirtipes, with (2) low levels of gene flow and strong species divergence, (3) high haplotypic diversity without evident geographic structure within species, and (4) a low level of large-scale ecological divergence between the two taxa, suggesting species micro-habitat specialization. Conclusions: Overall, our results suggest a speciation event that occurred during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition. The contemporary distribution of genetic variation suggests ongoing population expansions. Despite the largely overlapping distributions at a macrogeographic scale, our genetic results suggest that the two species remain reproductively isolated, as only negligible levels of gene flow were observed. The overlapping ecological preferences at a macro-geographic scale and the ecological divergence at the micro-habitat scale suggest that local adaptation may have played a crucial role in the speciation process of these species.

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The effect of rainfall on population dynamics in Sahara-Sahel rodents

Cited by 16 publications

References 63 publications

Diversity, distribution and conservation of land mammals in Mauritania, North-West Africa

Diversity, distribution and conservation of land mammals in Mauritania, North-West Africa

The effect of spatial and temporal scale on camouflage in North African rodents

Evolutionary history of two cryptic species of northern African jerboas

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