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Figure 10 in The petrosal and inner ear of the Late Jurassic cladotherian mammal Dryolestes leiriensis and implications for ear evolution in therian mammals

Figure 10. Dryolestes leiriensis left petrosal (Gui Mam 2/81). A, medial view of the pars cochlearis. B, medioventral view of the pars cochlearis. The external occipital aspect of the petrosal becomes visible in medial views because of a post mortem bending of the pars canalicularis relative to the pars cochlearis. Abbreviations: ac, aqueductus cochleae canal opening (intramural in jugular notch); av, aqueductus vestibuli canal opening; boc, basioccipital contact (and suture); eoc, exoccipital contact; fc, fenestra cochleae; fcn, foramina for cochlear nerve fibres; iam, internal acoustic meatus; ips, inferior petrosal sinus – posterior opening of the canal (on tympanic surface); ipsa, inferior petrosal sinus – anterior opening of the canal (intramural and in the basioccipital-petrosal suture; putative); jf, jugular foramen (exposed as open notch); me, mastoid exposure of pars canalicularis of petrosal (on the occipital aspect of the skull); mps, medial promontorial sulcus (with uncertain soft-tissue homology); nc, nuchal (lambdoidal) component of pars canalicularis of petrosal; p, parietal (fragments); pa, pila antotica (incomplete); pfc, prefacial commissure; pff, primary facial nerve foramen; pss, prootic sinus sulcus (incomplete canal); ptc, post-temporal canal (for arteria and vena diploëtica magna); rcm, resin plastic and coal matrix as preserved in Gui Mam 2/81; saf, subarcuate fossa; soc, supraoccipital contact (and suture); ts, transverse septum of internal acoustic meatus; vn, vestibular nerve foramen.

Figure 9 in The petrosal and inner ear of the Late Jurassic cladotherian mammal Dryolestes leiriensis and implications for ear evolution in therian mammals

Figure 9. Dryolestes leiriensis left petrosal mars mastoidea (Gui Mam 2/81). A, B, posterior view of the pars mastoidea of petrosal (stereophotographs). C, posterior view of petrosal (camera lucida drawing). D, structure identification. Abbreviations: ac, aqueductus cochleae canal opening (intramural in jugular notch); boc, basioccipital contact (and suture); eoc, exoccipital contact surface; ips, inferior petrosal sinus – posterior opening of the canal (on tympanic surface); me, mastoid exposure of pars canalicularis of petrosal (on the occipital aspect of the skull); nc, nuchal (lambdoidal) component of pars canalicularis of petrosal; oev, occipital emissary vascular foramen; pp, (posterior) paroccipital process of petrosal; ptc, post-temporal canal (for the arteria and vena diploëtica magna); soc, supraoccipital contact (and suture).

Figure 2 in The petrosal and inner ear of the Late Jurassic cladotherian mammal Dryolestes leiriensis and implications for ear evolution in therian mammals

Figure 2. Petrosal and inner ear of Dryolestes leiriensis (composite reconstruction). A, composite restoration of the left petrosal: the preserved part of the petrosal is stippled; the lateral trough and its related structures (shaded blue) are broken and missing; their reconstruction is conjectural, and restored on the basis of the petrosals of other therian mammals. B, conjectural restoration of the petrosal. C, outline of the reconstructed petrosal and the approximate position of the inner ear (lateral trough and its related structures reconstructed). D, virtual endocast of inner ear bony labyrinth (reconstruction of Gui Mam 2/81). Abbreviations: * indicates a slightly distorted area of promontorium surface.

Figure 13. Dryolestes leiriensis left inner ear virtual endocast. A, lateral view. B in The petrosal and inner ear of the Late Jurassic cladotherian mammal Dryolestes leiriensis and implications for ear evolution in therian mammals

Figure 13. Dryolestes leiriensis left inner ear virtual endocast. A, lateral view. B, dorsomedial view. Abbreviations: ac, aqueductus cochleae; asc, anterior semicircular canal; asca, anterior semicircular canal ampulla; av, aqueductus vestibuli; bpl, base for primary bony lamina of basilar membrane; bsl, bony base of the secondary lamina of basilar membrane; cc, crus commune; cg, cochlear ganglion (blue, reconstructed); cn(viii), reconstructed cochlear nerve (cranial nerve VIII, yellow); co, cochlear canal basal portion [the first half-turn (180° arc) from the sacculo-utricular junction]; co-a, cochlear canal apical portion [the apical quarter-turn (180-270° arc) from the sacculo-utricular junction]; dus, division between utricle and saccule; fc, fenestra cochleae; fcn, foramina for cochlear nerve fibres (cranial nerve VIII) (= tractus spiralis foraminosus, or cribriform plate); fut, foramen for utricular nerve VIII (reconstructed, white); fv, fenestra vestibuli; iam, internal acoustic meatus; ivc, inflection point between utricle and saccule; lsc, lateral semicircular canal; lsca, lateral semicircular canal ampulla; p-fcn, the posterior-most entry foramen of cochlear nerve fibres; psc, posterior semicircular canal; psca, posterior semicircular canal ampulla; sa, saccule; scc, secondary crus commune; ut, utricle.

Figure 3 in Mandible shape in marsupial and placental carnivorous mammals: a morphological comparative study using geometric morphometrics

Figure 3. Mandible shape variation along the first three relative warps (RW). A, relative warp 1 versus 3 showing the distribution of diet classes; B, relative warp 2 versus 3 showing the distribution of diet classes; C, relative warp 1 versus 3, showing the distribution of taxonomic groups; D, relative warp 2 versus 3, showing the distribution of taxonomic groups. Shape reconstructions show the extreme shape of each RW in black lines against the consensus shape in grey lines.

Figure 2 in Mandible shape in marsupial and placental carnivorous mammals: a morphological comparative study using geometric morphometrics

Figure 2. Mandible shape variation along the first four relative warps (RW). A, relative warp 1 versus 2, showing the distribution of diet classes; B, relative warp 3 versus 4, showing the distribution of diet classes; C, relative warp 1 versus 2, showing the distribution of taxonomic groups; D, relative warp 3 versus 4, showing the distribution of taxonomic groups. Shape reconstructions show the extreme shape of each RW in black lines against the consensus shape in grey lines.

Figure 1 in Mandible shape in marsupial and placental carnivorous mammals: a morphological comparative study using geometric morphometrics

Figure 1. Lateral view of a Canis lupus mandible showing the landmarks and semilandmarks used. Squares, landmarks; X, semilandmarks; 1, caudal extreme of the condyle; 2, most concave point of the mandibular notch; 3, dorso-caudal angle of the coronoid process; 4–11, semilandmarks; 12, distal extreme of the lower carnassial; 13, distal border of the protoconid projected to the base of the crown; 14, mesial border of the lower carnassial; 15, distal extreme of the c1; 16, mesial extreme of the c1; 17–28, semilandmarks; 29, anterior border of the masseteric fosa.

Figure 5 in Mandible shape in marsupial and placental carnivorous mammals: a morphological comparative study using geometric morphometrics

Figure 5. Canonical analysis of variance of taxonomic groups and diet classes. A, dietary discrimination in marsupials (factor 1 versus 2); B, discrimination of main Carnivora clades (factor 1 versus 2); C, discrimination of main Caniformia clades (factor 1 versus 2); D, discrimination of main Feliformia clades (factor 1 versus 2). Shape reconstructions show the extreme shape of each RW in black lines against the consensus shape in grey lines.

Figure 7 in Mandible shape in marsupial and placental carnivorous mammals: a morphological comparative study using geometric morphometrics

Figure 7. Allometric relationship between mandible shape and size. Consensus configuration is in the middle, shape of the largest species (Ursus arctos) to the left, and shape of the smallest species (Planigale maculate) to the right.

Figure 6 in Mandible shape in marsupial and placental carnivorous mammals: a morphological comparative study using geometric morphometrics

Figure 6. Canonical analysis of variance of taxonomic groups. A, Methateria (light grey) versus Carnivora (dark grey); B, Caniformia (dark grey) versus Feliformia (light grey).

Figure 4 in Mandible shape in marsupial and placental carnivorous mammals: a morphological comparative study using geometric morphometrics

Figure 4. Canonical analysis of variance of diet classes. A, factor 1 versus 2; B: factor 1 versus 3. Shape reconstructions show the extreme shape of each RW in black lines against the consensus shape in grey lines.

opencc-zeroSep 2021View details →

Tiwi Island native mammal live-trapping 2019

This data was collected as part of the National Environmental Science Program's Threatened Species Recovery Hub (Project 1.1.12 - Mitigating cat impacts on the brush-tailed rabbit-rat). This dataset includes all live captures of native mammals recorded on the Tiwi Islands (Melville and Bathurst) in 2019. Live-trapping was conducted at four locations (Cape Fourcroy, Ranku, Pickertaramoor and Cache Point). At each of these sites, a grid of 300 live-traps (225 Sherman traps and 75 cage traps) were deployed in 30 rows of 10 traps (spaced 20 m apart) for four consecutive nights. This trapping was conducted on two separate occasions (June and October) in 2019. Individual animals were marked with ear tags and microchips permitting spatial-capture-recapture analyses.

opencc-zeroSep 2021View details →

OTU data and analysis files for interspecies comparison of Philippine terrestrial small mammal diets

Island radiations represent unique evolutionary histories in unique ecological contexts. These radiations provide opportunities to investigate ecological diversification in groups that typically exhibit niche partitioning among their constituents, including partitioning of food resources. DNA metabarcoding produces finer levels of diet identification than traditional methods, allowing us to examine dietary niche partitioning in communities or clades in which species share superficially similar diets. Here we use DNA metabarcoding to investigate dietary niche partitioning in an endemic radiation of mammals in the Philippines. Our data reveal niche partitioning as well as phylogenetically-uncorrelated adaptive evolution in this small mammal community. Because 70% of the focal species belong to the tribe Chrotomyini, an endemic Philippine radiation of murid rodents that feed extensively on earthworms, this study sheds light on dietary adaptation and its role in the co-occurrence of closely related species. Our results reveal fine-scale resource partitioning within this community; our data provide compelling evidence for niche partitioning of diet that was masked by previous diet categories and will help in further dissecting the model adaptive radiation of endemic small mammals on Luzon. This study reinforces the notion that DNA metabarcoding can be a valuable tool for investigating both ecological relationships and evolutionary ecology at the community and phylogenetic level, respectively.

opencc-zeroOct 2021View details →

Data from: Postcrania of Borealestes (Mammaliformes: Docodonta) and the emergence of ecomorphological diversity in early mammals

The Middle Jurassic witnessed the early diversification of mammal groups, including the stem-mammalian clade, Docodonta. Recent discoveries in China indicate docodontans exhibited ecomorphological diversity akin to small-bodied mammals living >100 million years later, in the Cenozoic. Our understanding of the emergence of this ecological diversity is hindered by a lack of Middle Jurassic fossil material from other parts of the world. The two partial postcranial skeletons of Borealestes described here come from the Kilmaluag Formation, Scotland. These are the most complete Mesozoic mammaliaform skeletons currently known from the UK, and among the best preserved in Europe. As an early member of Docodonta, Borealestes provides key anatomical information for understanding the clade's evolution, and the emergence of mammaliaform ecomorphological diversity. Using digital reconstructions from micro-CT and synchrotron scans, we describe the postcranial anatomy of Borealestes and provide an updated phylogenetic analysis incorporating cranial and postcranial characters. We find Borealestes species form a sister group to a clade comprising Agilodocodon and Microdocodon. To complement observational analyses of the skeleton, we carry out principle components analyses using 3D landmarks on a comparative dataset of 42 extant mammal taxa. Our results indicate Borealestes lacked specialisations for derived locomotor behaviour. We detect some similarity in the humerus between Borealestes and Ornithorhynchus. Borealestes is morphologically intermediate between the robust morphology of fossorial and semi-fossorial/semi-aquatic Haldanodon and Docofossor, and the gracile morphology for scansorial Agilodocodon and Microdocodon. We suggest ecological diversity in Docodonta may arise from an unspecialised basal bauplan, of which Borealestes may be representative.

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2022View details →

Spatiotemporal distributions of mammals occurring in an agro-prairie ecosystem

This database includes camera trap data from 381 sites (Fig. 1) containing a total of 31,227 mammal records from 24 species (Table 1) over 27,954 camera-traps/night during 2018 (n = 10,351), 2019 (n = 9,478), and 2020 (n = 8,125). Additionally, we include local-scale (0.25 ha) habitat covariates (i.e., vegetation height, and percentage of forbs, agriculture, grass, bare ground, shrubs) around each camera trap site that can be included in various habitat-use analyses.

opencc-zeroNov 2022View details →

Monitoring small mammal abundance using NEON data: Are calibrated indices useful?

Small mammals are important to the functioning of ecological communities with changes to their abundances used to track impacts of environmental change. While capture-recapture estimates of absolute abundance are preferred, indices of abundance continue to be used in cases of limited sampling, rare species with little data, or unmarked individuals. Improvement to indices can be achieved by calibrating them to absolute abundance but their reliability across years, sites, or species is unclear. To evaluate this, we used the US National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) capture-recapture data for 63 small mammal species over 46 sites from 2013–2019. We generated 17,155 absolute abundance estimates using capture-recapture analyses and compared these to two standard abundance indices, and three types of calibrated indices. We found that neither raw abundance indices nor index calibrations were reliable approximations of absolute abundance, with raw indices less correlated with absolute abundance than index calibrations (raw indices overall R2 < 0.5, index calibration overall R2 > 0.6). Performance of indices and index calibrations varied by species, with those having higher and less variable capture probabilities performing best. We conclude that indices and index calibration methods should be used with caution with a count of individuals being the best index to use, especially if it can be calibrated with capture probability. None of the indices we tested should be used for comparing different species due to high variation in capture probabilities. Hierarchical models that allow for sharing of capture probabilities over species or plots (i.e., joint likelihood models) may offer a better solution to mitigate the cost and effort of large-scale small mammal sampling while still providing robust estimates of abundance.

Figure 11 in Morphological disparity in a hyperdiverse mammal clade: a new morphotype and tribe of Neotropical cricetids

Figure 11. Selected cranial details in Rhagomys rufescens (all based on MZUFV-CM 3706): A, laterodorsal view of the left temporal region showing the alisphenoid strut (as); B, lateral view of the anterior part of the cranium to show the broad zygomatic plate (note also the staggered incisor profile highlighted by an arrow); C, left zygomatic plate ventrally viewed to put in evidence the thick posterior border (pb) transversally oriented and the point (marked with an arrow) where the shaft twist; D, lateroventral view of the occipital region showing a large foramen magnum (fm), the left mastoid capsule (mc) and the ventral appearance of a prominent petrosal (pe).

Figure 9 in Morphological disparity in a hyperdiverse mammal clade: a new morphotype and tribe of Neotropical cricetids

Figure 9. Selected soft anatomical traits of Rhagomys: A, dorsal view of the tongue in R. septentrionalis (MEPN 12715); B, caecal portion of the intestine in R. rufescens (MZUFV-CM 3706); C, soft palate in R. septentrionalis (MECN 6172); D, external (left) and internal (right) view of the stomach in R. rufescens (MZUFV-CM 3706); E, frontal view of the rhinarium in R. rufescens (right panel; MZUSP 33890) and R. septentrionalis (left panel; MECN 6172). Abbreviations: a, alanasi; ce, caecum; co, colon; cv, circumvallate papilla; d, diastemal ridge; es, esophagus; i, interdental ridge; il, ileum; n, nasal pad; p, basal fold; ph, philtrum; py, pylorous.

Figure 6 in Morphological disparity in a hyperdiverse mammal clade: a new morphotype and tribe of Neotropical cricetids

Figure 6. Unique tubercular hypsodonty in Rhagomys exemplified by R. septentrionalis (MECN 6172): right upper (A, C) and lower (B, D) molar series viewed from behind (A, B) and the labial side (C, D). The pictures are three-dimensional reconstructions based on micro-CT data.

Figure 4 in Morphological disparity in a hyperdiverse mammal clade: a new morphotype and tribe of Neotropical cricetids

Figure 4. Mandible morphology of Rhagomys: A, external view of the left hemimandible of R. longilingua (FMNH 170687): note the chin process (c) and the straight inner border (b); B, external view of the left hemimandible of R. septentrionalis (MECN 6172); C, medial view of the left hemimandible of R. septentrionalis (MECN 6172); D, dorsolateral view of the retromolar fossa in the left hemimandible of R. septentrionalis (MECN 6172); E, lingual dorsolateral view of the retromolar fossa in the left hemimandible of R. rufescens (MZUFV-CM 3706): note the elevated bony ridge (mi) forming the caudad close of the fossa. Except for A and E the pictures are three-dimensional reconstructions based on micro-CT data.