RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 How Rodent Species Adapt to the Food Resources of Their Habitat
A1 Del Arco, Jose María
K1 acorns; dispersal; rodents; scatter-hoarding; partial consumption; habitats
AB Three rodent species with similar characteristics coexist in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula(Wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus, Algerian mouse Mus spretus and Common vole Microtusarvalis). This study examines if habitat segregation exists between the species, as a meansof preventing the intense competition that may exclude any of these species. One of thethree species recently arrived in the area. The other two have been consuming resources fora long time. Our aim is to check whether adaptations have been acquired during this time.To do this, we placed the three rodent species in semi-wild enclosures consisting of threedifferent habitats and fed them acorns from the two most abundant oak species of the areafor one week. We estimated the number of acorns and the mass per acorn that each speciesconsumed in each habitat. It was found that each species prefers different habitats. Thetwo species that were first installed in the area participated in acorn dissemination throughtransport and storage. They also conserved the embryos of the acorns consumed. The newlyarrived species did not transport acorns and destroys them during consumption, behavingas a true predator species. The three species segregate their habitats to avoid competition.The two species that have been in the area for a longer time exhibit a relationship with theoaks that is akin to mutualism.
PB Animals
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/78505
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/78505
LA eng
NO Animals junio 2025, 15 1874 p.1-21
DS UVaDOC
RD 09-oct-2025