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4,059 results for “mammal”
Figure 2 in Mammals of Myanmar: an annotated checklist
Figure 2: Number of recorded mammal species (excluding the orders Sirenia and Artiodactyla (Cetacea), due to the limited distribution records of marine mammals) in the political units of Myanmar.
Figure 2 in Brandt's Hedgehog, Paraechinus hypomelas (Brandt, 1836), new to the mammal fauna of Iraq
Figure 2: Brandt's Hedgehog, Paraechinus hypomelas, form the Bamo-Khoshk Mountains, Sulaymaniyah Province, Kurdistan region, northeastern Iraq. (A) Adult individual from the Town of Bamo; (B) juveniles from the Kanizhalla Village; (C) Dorsal head with necked scalp just behind the front; (D) anterior dentition; (E) general landscape of the site. Photos © Soran H. Ahmed.
Figure 1 in Medium and large mammals in an Andean National Park in southwestern Colombia
Figure 1: Location of the Doña Juana Cascabel Volcanic Complex National Natural Park. Each point specifies the positioning of an automatic camera within the park or its buffer zone. Additional information on the locations can be found in Table 1.
Data from: Population structure and historical demography of South American sea lions provide insights into the catastrophic decline of a marine mammal population
Understanding the causes of population decline is crucial for conservation management. We therefore used genetic analysis both to provide baseline data on population structure and to evaluate hypotheses for the catastrophic decline of the South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens) at the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) in the South Atlantic. We genotyped 259 animals from 23 colonies across the Falklands at 281 bp of the mitochondrial hypervariable region and 22 microsatellites. A weak signature of population structure was detected, genetic diversity was moderately high in comparison with other pinniped species, and no evidence was found for the decline being associated with a strong demographic bottleneck. By combining our mitochondrial data with published sequences from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru, we also uncovered strong maternally directed population structure across the geographical range of the species. In particular, very few shared haplotypes were found between the Falklands and South America, and this was reflected in correspondingly low migration rate estimates. These findings do not support the prominent hypothesis that the decline was caused by migration to Argentina, where large-scale commercial harvesting operations claimed over half a million animals. Thus, our study not only provides baseline data for conservation management but also reveals the potential for genetic studies to shed light upon long-standing questions pertaining to the history and fate of natural populations.
Data from: Large‐scale molecular diet analysis in a generalist marine mammal reveals male preference for prey of conservation concern
Sex‐specific diet information is important in the determination of predator impacts on prey populations. Unfortunately, the diet of males and females can be difficult to describe, particularly when they are marine predators. We combined two molecular techniques to describe haul‐out use and prey preferences of male and female harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) from Comox and Cowichan Bay (Canada) during 2012–2013. DNA metabarcoding quantified the diet proportions comprised of prey species in harbor seal scat, and qPCR determined the sex of the individual that deposited each scat. Using 287 female and 260 male samples, we compared the monthly sex ratio with GLMs and analyzed prey consumption relative to sex, season, site, and year with PERMANOVA. The sex ratio between monthly samples differed widely in both years (range = 12%–79% males) and showed different patterns at each haul‐out site. Male and female diet differed across both years and sites: Females consumed a high proportion of demersal fish species while males consumed more salmonid species. Diet composition was related to both sex and season (PERMANOVA: R2 = 27%, p < 0.001; R2 = 24%, p < 0.001, respectively) and their interaction (PERMANOVA: R2 = 11%, p < 0.001). Diet differences between males and females were consistent across site and year, suggesting fundamental foraging differences, including that males may have a larger impact on salmonids than females. Our novel combination of techniques allowed for both prey taxonomic and spatiotemporal resolution unprecedented in marine predators.
Data from: Small-mammal isotope ecology tracks climate and vegetation gradients across western North America
Stable carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen isotopes have been used to infer aspects of species ecology and environment in both modern ecosystems and the fossil record. Compared to large mammals, stable isotopic studies of small-mammal ecology are limited; however, high species and ecological diversity within small mammals presents several advantages for quantifying resource use and organism–environment interactions using stable isotopes over various spatial and temporal scales. We analyzed the isotopic composition of hair from two heteromyid rodent species, Dipodomys ordii and Perognathus parvus, from localities across western North America in order to characterize dietary variation in relation to vegetation and climatic gradients. Significant correlations between the carbon isotopic composition (δ13C) of these species and several climatic variables imply that seasonal temperature and precipitation control the composition and distribution of dietary resources (grass seeds). Our results also suggest a moisture influence on the nitrogen isotopic composition (δ15N) of heteromyid diets. Population- and species-level variation in δ13C and δ15N values record fine-scale habitat heterogeneity and significant differences in resource use between species. Using classification and regression-tree techniques, we modeled the geographic variation in heteromyid δ13Cdiet values based on 10 climatic variables and generated an isotope landscape model ('isoscape'). The isoscape predictions for δ13Cdiet differ from expectations based on observed C4 distributions and instead indicate that D. ordii and P. parvus record seasonally abundant grass resources, with additional model deviations potentially attributed to geographic variation in dietary selection. The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of D. ordii is enriched relative to local meteoric water and suggests that individuals rely on highly evaporated water sources, such as seed moisture. Based on the climatic influences on vegetation and diet documented in this study, the isotopic composition of small mammals has high potential for recording ecological responses to environmental changes over short and long time scales.
Data from: Trait-demography relationships underlying small mammal population fluctuations
Large-scale fluctuations in abundance are a common feature of small mammal populations and have been the subject of extensive research. These demographic fluctuations are often associated with concurrent changes in the average body mass of individuals, sometimes referred to as the 'Chitty effect'. Despite the long-standing recognition of this phenomenon, an empirical investigation of the underlying coupled dynamics of body mass and population growth has been lacking. Using long-term life-history data combined with a trait-based demographic approach, we examined the relationship between body mass and demography in a small mammal population that exhibits non-cyclic, large-scale fluctuations in abundance. We used data from the male segment of a 25-year study of the monogamous prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster, in Illinois, USA. Specifically, we investigated how trait–demography relationships and trait distributions changed between different phases of population fluctuations, and the consequences of these changes for both trait and population dynamics. We observed phase-specific changes in male adult body mass distribution in this population of prairie voles. Our analyses revealed that these changes were driven by variation in ontogenetic growth, rather than selection acting on the trait. The resulting changes in body mass influenced most life-history processes, and these effects varied among phases of population fluctuation. However, these changes did not propagate to affect the population growth rate due to the small effect of body mass on vital rates, compared to the overall differences in vital rates between phases. The increase phase of the fluctuations was initiated by enhanced survival, particularly of juveniles and fecundity, whereas the decline phase was driven by an overall reduction in fecundity, survival and maturation rates. Our study provides empirical support, as well as a potential mechanism, underlying the observed trait changes accompanying population fluctuations. Body size dynamics and population fluctuations resulted from different life-history processes. Therefore, we conclude that body size dynamics in our population do not drive the observed population dynamics. This more in-depth understanding of different components of small mammal population fluctuations will help us to better identify the mechanistic drivers of this interesting phenomenon.
Data from: Genomic analysis reveals depression due to both individual and maternal inbreeding in a free-living mammal population
There is ample evidence for inbreeding depression manifested as a reduction in fitness or fitness-related traits in the focal individual. In many organisms, fitness is not only affected by genes carried by the individual, but also by genes carried by their parents, for example if receiving parental care. While maternal effects have been described in many systems, the extent to which inbreeding affects fitness directly through the focal individual, or indirectly through the inbreeding coefficients of its parents, has rarely been examined jointly. The Soay sheep study population is an excellent system in which to test for both effects, as lambs receive extended maternal care. Here, we tested for both maternal and individual inbreeding depression in three fitness-related traits (birthweight and weight and hindleg length at 4 months of age) and three fitness components (first-year survival, adult annual survival and annual breeding success), using either pedigree-derived inbreeding or genomic estimators calculated using ~37 000 SNP markers. We found evidence for inbreeding depression in 4-month hindleg and weight, first-year survival in males, and annual survival and breeding success in adults. Maternal inbreeding was found to depress both birthweight and 4-month weight. We detected more instances of significant inbreeding depression using genomic estimators than the pedigree, which is partly explained through the increased sample sizes available. In conclusion, our results highlight that cross-generational inbreeding effects warrant further exploration in species with parental care and that modern genomic tools can be used successfully instead of, or alongside, pedigrees in natural populations.
Data from: Natal habitat preference induction in large mammals – Like mother, like child?
Habitat selection has received considerable attention from ecologists during the last decades, yet the underlying forces shaping individual differences in habitat selection are poorly documented. Some of these differences could be explained by the early experience of individuals in their natal habitat. By selecting habitat attributes like those encountered early in life, individuals could improve resource acquisition, survival, and ultimately fitness. This behaviour, known as natal habitat preference induction (NHPI), could be particularly common in large mammals, because offspring generally stay with their mother for an extended period. We used three complementary approaches to assess NHPI in a marked population of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou): 1) population-based resource selection functions (RSFs), 2) individual-based RSFs, and 3) behavioural repeatability analyses. All approaches compared the behaviour of calves in their natal range to their behaviour as independent subadults during the snow-covered (Dec – Apr) and snow-free (May – Nov) seasons. Using RSFs, we found that the magnitude of habitat selection between calf and subadult stages differed for most covariates, yet the signs of statistically significant effects (selection vs. avoidance) were generally the same. We also found that some habitat selection tactics were highly repeatable across life stages. Notably, caribou responses to habitat disturbances were highly repeatable year-round, meaning that different individuals reacted differently, but consistently, to disturbances. This study highlights the potential role of natal habitat preference induction in shaping individual differences in habitat selection in large mammals and provides valuable knowledge for the management and conservation of a threatened species.
Data from: A non-invasive method for sampling the body odour of mammals
1. Olfaction is a central aspect of mammalian communication, providing information about individual attributes such as identity, sex, group membership or genetic quality. Yet, the chemical underpinnings of olfactory cues remain little understood, one of the reasons being the difficulty in obtaining high quality samples for chemical analysis. 2. In the present study we adjusted and evaluated the use of thermal desorption (TD) tubes, commonly used in plant metabolomic and environmental studies, for non-invasive sampling of mammalian body odour. We obtained chemical profiles of meerkat (Suricata suricatta) body odour samples using TD tubes analysed with gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS). 3. TD tubes captured a wide range of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds including compounds likely originating from the target animals. Adjustment of sampling parameters (distance, volume, flow rate, interruption of sampling) to increase the feasibility for a non-invasive application yielded samples of adequate quality. However, to minimize the variability between samples, sampling parameters should be kept constant and samples should be collected when no conspecifics are close-by. 4. The method was sensitive enough to pick up population differences in the chemical profiles of two captive groups of meerkats, demonstrating its applicability to biological questions. With sufficiently habituated animals, the method is applicable non-invasively, allowing short- and long-term studies on a wide range of questions, including e.g. chemical signatures of kinship, diet, individual health or reproductive state.
Data from: Optimal group size in a highly social mammal
What are the costs and benefits for animals living in groups of different sizes? Balancing the trade-offs between within-group competition (which favors smaller groups) and between-group competition (which favors larger groups) suggests that intermediate-sized groups may be best, yet empirical support for this prediction has largely been lacking. Using long-term data on wild baboons, we provide novel evidence that individuals living in intermediate-sized groups have energetically optimal space-use strategies and lower glucocorticoid (stress hormone) concentrations than individuals in either large or small groups. Our results offer new insight into the costs and benefits of group living.
Data from: The imprint of Cenozoic migrations and evolutionary history on the biogeographic gradient of body size in New World mammals
Ecology, evolution and historical events all contribute to biogeographic patterns, but studies integrating them are scarce. Here we focus on how biotic exchanges of mammals during the Late Cenozoic have contributed to current geographic body size patterns. We explore differences in the environmental correlates and phylogenetic patterning of body size between the groups of mammals participating and not participating in past biotic exchanges. Both the association of body size with environmental predictors and its phylogenetic signal were stronger for groups that immigrated into North or South America than for indigenous groups. This pattern, which held when extinct clades were included in the analyses, can be interpreted based on the length of time that clades have had to diversify and occupy niche space. Moreover, we identify a role for historical events such as Cenozoic migrations on configuring contemporary mammal body size patterns and illustrate where these influences have been strongest for New World mammals.
Data from: Diversification of mammals from the Miocene of Spain
The mammalian fossil record of Spain is long and taxonomically well resolved, offering the most complete record of faunal change for the Neogene of Europe. We evaluated changes in diversification, composition, trophic structure, and size structure of large mammals over the middle and late Miocene with methods applied to this record for the first time, including ordination of fossil localities to improve temporal resolution and estimation of confidence intervals on taxa temporal ranges. By contrast, analysis within the traditional Mammal Neogene (MN) biochronology obscures important aspects of diversification. We used inferred temporal ranges of species and evaluated per capita rates of origination, extinction, diversification, and turnover over 0.5-Myr time intervals. Three periods of significant faunal change occurred between 12.0 and 5.5 Ma: (1) From 12.0 to 10.5 Ma, elevated origination rates led to an increase in diversity without significant change in ecological structure. Immigrants and geographic-range shifts of species to lower latitudes during an interval of global cooling contributed to these faunal changes. (2) From 9.5 to 7.5 Ma, high extinction rates followed by high origination rates coincided with significant changes in taxonomic composition and ecological structure. These changes represent the Vallesian Crisis, with replacement of a fauna of forest affinities (with frugivores and browsers) by a fauna of open woodlands (with grazers and mixed feeders). (3) From 6.5 to 5.5 Ma, high extinction rates reduced diversity without substantial changes in ecological structure, and large mammal faunas became highly endemic across the northern Mediterranean region. This interval includes the Messinian Salinity Crisis, the desiccation of the Mediterranean basin. Extinction may have been caused by geographic isolation and aridification, with evolution of endemic lineages giving rise to new species in the early Pliocene. These distinct macroevolutionary patterns of faunal change correspond to different geographic scales of inferred climatic and tectonic drivers.
Data from: Acoustic risk balancing by marine mammals: anthropogenic noise can influence the foraging decisions by seals
<p class="MsoCommentText">Avoidance of anthropogenic sounds has been measured in many species. The results, which are typically based on observations in limited exposure contexts, are frequently used to inform policy and the regulation of industrial activities. However, the occurrence and magnitude of avoidance may be a consequence of complex risk-balancing decisions made by animals. The importance of the factors in decision-making, such as perceived risks associated with the sounds or prey quantity and quality during sound exposure, is unknown.</p> <p class="MsoCommentText">Here we address this knowledge gap by measuring the relative influence of perceived risk of a sound (silence, <span>pile driving, and a tidal turbine)</span> and prey patch quality on decision making and foraging success in grey seals <span>(<i>Halichoerus grypus</i>). </span>Seals were given access to two <span>underwater 'prey patches' </span>in an experimental pool <span>where fish were delivered at controlled rates to simulate a </span>low density (LD) and a high density (HD) prey patch. Acoustic playbacks were made using an underwater speaker above one of the prey patches (randomised during the study), and three decision and foraging metrics (foraging duration, foraging effort allocation between the prey patches, and foraging success) were measured.</p> <p>Foraging success was highest during silent controls and was similar regardless of speaker location (LD/HD). Under the tidal turbine and pile driving treatments, foraging success was similar to the controls when the speaker was located at the HD prey patch but was significantly reduced (~16-28% lower) when the speaker was located at the LD prey patch. Foraging decisions by the seals were consistent with a risk/profit balancing approach. Avoidance rates depend on the quality of the prey patch as well as the perceived risk.</p> <p>Policy implications: The results suggest that foraging context is important when interpreting avoidance behaviour and should be considered when predicting the effects of anthropogenic activities. For example, sound exposure in different prey patch qualities may result in markedly different avoidance behaviour, potentially leading to contrasting predictions of impact in Environmental Assessments. We recommend future studies explicitly consider foraging context, and other contextual factors such as behavioural state (e.g. foraging or travelling) and habitat quality.</p>
Data from: Assessing bite force estimates in extinct mammals and archosaurs using phylogenetic predictions
Bite force is an ecologically important biomechanical performance measure is informative in inferring the ecology of extinct taxa. However, biomechanical modelling to estimate bite force is associated with some level of uncertainty. Here, I assess the accuracy of bite force estimates in extinct taxa using a Bayesian phylogenetic prediction model. I first fitted a phylogenetic regression model on a training set comprising extant data. The model predicts bite force from body mass and skull width while accounting for differences owning to biting position. The posterior predictive model has a 93% prediction accuracy as evaluated through leave-one-out cross-validation. I then predicted bite force in 37 species of extinct mammals and archosaurs from the posterior distribution of predictive models. Biomechanically estimated bite forces fall within the posterior predictive distributions for all except four species of extinct taxa and are thus as accurate as that predicted from body size and skull width, given the variation inherent in extant taxa and the amount of time available for variance to accrue. Biomechanical modelling remains a valuable means to estimate bite force in extinct taxa and should be reliably informative of functional performances and serve to provide insights into past ecologies.
Data from: Incomplete convergence of gliding-mammal skeletons
<p>Ecology and biomechanics play central roles in the generation of phenotypic diversity. When unrelated taxa invade a similar ecological niche, biomechanical demands can drive convergent morphological transformations. Thus, identifying and examining convergence helps to elucidate the key catalysts of phenotypic change. Gliding mammals are often presented as a classic case of convergent evolution because they independently evolved in numerous clades, each possessing patagia ('wing' membranes) that generate lift during gliding. We use phylogenetic comparative methods to test whether the skeletal morphologies of the six clades of extant gliding mammals demonstrate convergence. Our results indicate that glider skeletons are convergent, with glider groups consistently evolving proportionally longer, more gracile limbs than arborealists, likely to increase patagial surface area. Nonetheless, we interpret gliders to represent incomplete convergence because (i) evolutionary model-fitting analyses do not indicate strong selective pressures for glider trait optima, (ii) the three marsupial glider groups diverge rather than converge, and (iii) the gliding groups remain separated in morphospace (rather than converging on a single morphotype), which is reflected by an unexpectedly high level of morphological disparity. That glider skeletons are morphologically diverse is further demonstrated by fossil gliders from the Mesozoic Era, which possess unique skeletal characteristics that are absent in extant gliders. Glider morphologies may be strongly influenced by factors such as body size and attachment location of patagia on the forelimb, which can vary among clades. <span>Thus, convergence in gliders appears to be driven by a simple lengthening of the limbs, whereas additional skeletal traits reflect nuances of the gliding apparatus that are distinct among different evolutionary lineages.</span> Our unexpected results add to growing evidence that incomplete convergence is prevalent in vertebrate clades, even among classic cases of convergence, and they highlight the importance of examining form-function relationships in light of phylogeny, biomechanics, and the fossil record.</p>
Selection for increased cranial capacity in small mammals during a century of urbanization
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Urbanization is a selective force that is known to drive changes in the population dynamics of wildlife. How animals adapt to changing environmental conditions is crucial to their survival in these environments. Brain size, or cranial capacity, is a known proxy of behavioral flexibility, and can be used to assess how well a species has adapted to a particular environment. We examined cranial capacity changes in a time series of small mammal skulls collected from urban and rural populations in south western Pennsylvania. Urban skulls were collected from Allegheny county—an area that experienced rapid urbanization over the past century, and rural skulls from Powdermill Nature Reserve (Carnegie Museum), which has remained relatively unchanged forest over the same period. Our results show that <i>Peromyscus leucopous</i> (white-footed mouse) and <i>Microtus pennsylvanicus</i> (meadow vole) from urban populations had significantly greater cranial capacity than their rural counterparts, but the opposite was true for <i>Eptesicus fuscus</i> (big brown bat). We found no difference in relative cranial capacity across time in any of the small mammal species. Our results suggest that a larger cranial capacity is selected for in an urban environment and reinforces the hypothesis that behavioral flexibility is important for animals to adapt to novel environments.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
The elephant in the family: Costs and benefits of elder siblings on younger offspring life-history trajectory in a matrilineal mammal
<p>1. Many mammals grow up with siblings, and interactions between them can influence offspring phenotype and fitness. Among these interactions, sibling competition between different-age offspring should lead to reproductive and survival costs on the younger sibling, while sibling cooperation should improve younger sibling's reproductive potential and survival. However, little is known about the consequences of sibling effects on younger offspring life history trajectory, especially in long-lived mammals.</p> <p>2. We take advantage of a large, multigenerational demographic dataset from semi-captive Asian elephants to investigate how the presence and sex of elder siblings influence the sex, survival until five years old, body condition, reproductive success (i.e. age at first reproduction and lifetime reproductive success), and long-term survival of subsequent offspring.</p> <p>3. We find that elder siblings have heterogenous effects on subsequent offspring life-history traits depending on their presence, their sex, and the sex of the subsequent offspring (named focal calf).</p> <p>4. Overall, the presence of an elder sibling (either sex) strongly increased focal calf long-term survival (either sex) compared to sibling absence. However, elder sisters had higher impact on the focal sibling than elder brothers. Focal females born after a female display higher long-term survival, and decreased age at first reproduction when raised together with an elder sister rather than a brother. Focal males born after a female rather than a male showed lower survival but higher body weight when both were raised together. We did not detect any sibling effects on the sex of the focal calf sex, survival until five years old and lifetime reproductive success.</p> <p>5. Our results highlight the general complexity of sibling effects, but broadly that elder siblings can influence the life-history trajectory of subsequent offspring. We also stress the importance of considering all life stages when evaluating sibling effects on life trajectories. 22-Jul-2021 --</p>
Figure 1 in Composition and habitat use of small mammals in old-growth mountain forests
Figure 1. Location of the study area in the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park (in dark grey) and its peripheral area (in light grey), indicating the UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) coordinates. White squares, Abies alba plots; black squares, Pinus uncinata plots. Contour lines represent different altitude levels. Darker areas within the National Park boundaries correspond to lakes.
Figure 1 in Habitat selection by small mammals in Brazilian Pampas biome
Figure 1. Location of the study area (Taim Ecological Station) in South America and in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
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These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.