Animals

Abstract

Three rodent species of similar characteristics coexist in the center of the Iberian Peninsula. We want to know if there is habitat segregation between them to avoid strong competition that excludes any of them. One of the three has just arrived in the area. The other two have been consuming resources for a long time. We want to know if time is the origin of adaptations to resources. For this purpose, we placed the three rodent species in semi-wild enclosures consisting of three different habitats and fed them for a week with acorns from two oak species. The most abundant in the area. We estimated the number of acorns and the mass per acorn that each species consumes in each habitat. As a result, we obtained that each species prefers different habitats. The two species first installed in the area participate in the dissemination of acorns by providing transport and storage but also conserve the embryo of the acorns they consume. The newly arrived species does not transport acorns and destroy them during consumption, behaving as a true predator. The three species segregate their habitats to avoid competition. The two species that have been in the area for a long time bring the relationship with the oaks closer to mutualism.