Article
Ecology
Keith Geluso, Peter C. Longo, Mary J. Harner, Jeremy A. White
Summary: Granivorous rodents play important roles in ecosystems by consuming and dispersing seeds. Research showed that Ord's kangaroo rats exhibit sloppy seed removal behavior from scatterhoards, resulting in some seeds being left behind.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jaran Hopkins, Tim Bean, Francis Villablanca
Summary: One third of missing mammal species thought to be extinct have been rediscovered. The Morro Bay kangaroo rat (MBKR) is a small nocturnal rodent suspected of being extinct. However, a recent survey concluded that the MBKR is not present on the Morro Bay sandspit.
Article
Zoology
Leila Siciliano-Martina, Daniel A. Guerra, Joseph A. Veech
Summary: Among burrowing rodents, the forelimb morphology is closely related to soil substrates. Kangaroo rats that inhabit dense soils display specialized forelimb traits, which limit their geographic range. Understanding the role of soil specialization in habitat occupancy is crucial for conservation decisions.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2023)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Grace A. Freymiller, Malachi D. Whitford, M. Janneke Schwaner, Craig P. McGowan, Timothy E. Higham, Rulon W. Clark
Summary: In this study, it was found that jump acceleration remains constant while jump distance increases with body size in kangaroo rats. The muscle mass and cross-sectional area of hind limbs are positively allometric, as well as the cross-sectional area of the ankle extensor tendon. However, hind limb segment length scales isometrically, with the exception of the metatarsals which scale with negative allometry.
JOURNAL OF ANATOMY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Jorge Andrade-Sanchez, Maria Clara Arteaga, Eric Mellink
Summary: The study validates the rediscovery of the San Quintin kangaroo rat by comparing cranial morphometric and mitochondrial data of current specimens with historic specimens and sympatric kangaroo rats. The results confirm the presence of the species after more than 25 years of failed attempts to find it.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Javier Omar Morales, Nikki Walker, Robin W. Warne, Justin G. Boyles
Summary: This study found that lunar illumination and environmental temperatures have different effects on thermoregulation in mammals, with lunar illumination playing a more significant role in inducing heterothermy. Animals may adjust their thermoregulatory strategies in response to predation risk posed by moonlight, even at the expense of foraging and energy intake.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nicholas A. Delzoppo, Karleah Berris, Daniella Teixeira, Berndt van Rensburg
Summary: The Kangaroo Island glossy black-cockatoo is an endangered subspecies that heavily relies on the kernels of drooping sheoak for food, making it vulnerable to changes in the quantity and quality of this plant species. Research has shown that the time since the last fire significantly impacts the cone quality of sheoak trees, with longer intervals resulting in lower quality cones. This has important implications for the management of critical habitat for this endangered subspecies, especially considering the majority of unimpacted sheoak woodlands are of similar age and have not experienced fire for over 60 years.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Bo-Wen Li, Wen-Bo Li, Dong-Po Xia, Tong Zhang, Pei-Pei Yang, Jin-Hua Li
Summary: The study found that the altitude of sleeping sites chosen by Tibetan macaques for acquiring food differed significantly by season, and the sleeping sites were located near foraging patches, indicating the important role of sleeping sites in food resource utilization.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Si Chen, Li Feng, Bo Wang
Summary: Scatter-hoarding rodents play a crucial role in seed survival and dispersal. The effect of seed size on rodent-seed interaction varies among species and different foraging processes. Including a large number of species in studies can avoid biased results. Seed size has a consistent effect on dispersal success across species over multiple years.
INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Chanel D. Ross, Ron A. Meyers
Summary: Kangaroo rats use specialized bipedal hopping and have muscle fibers suited for both explosive and enduring movements. The musculature of the ankle joint provides power for hopping, with different fiber types in hindlimb muscles contributing to different types of movements like quick and explosive jumps as well as continuous saltatory locomotion.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Meike Rombach, Julio Botero, David L. Dean
Summary: This study explores the predictors of US consumers' preferences for food foraging, including food engagement, food-related COVID-19 concerns, and the importance of sustainable foraging practices. The results show that food engagement is the strongest predictor for preferences for both foraging over buying and foraging over growing scenarios. Food-related COVID-19 concerns only appear to be relevant for the foraging over buying scenario, while the importance of sustainable growing practices is only relevant for the foraging over growing scenario.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Francis X. Villablanca, Christopher P. Kofron, Lauralea Oliver, Michael J. Walgren, Lisa E. Andreano, Alexandra Thiel
Summary: The Morro Bay kangaroo rat, a small, nocturnal rodent endemic to California, was listed as endangered in 1973. Despite no sightings since 1986, researchers are unable to conclusively determine if the species is extinct. Continued search efforts, including in specific areas like the Morro Bay sand spit, are recommended.
JOURNAL OF FISH AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Xiao-Lei An, Bo Zhang, Tuo Feng, Ning Han, Jing Wang, Xiao-Ning Chen, Ji-Dong Zhao, Ming Qin, Gang Chang, Xiang Hou
Summary: Understanding rodent seed caching behavior is crucial for forest management and conservation. This study investigates the feeding and hoarding preferences of two sympatric rodent species in response to chestnut seed size and insect infestation. The results suggest that seed size plays a more important role than insect infestation in determining feeding and hoarding decisions.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joseph K. Hall, Craig P. McGowan, David C. Lin
Summary: This study compares the hopping behavior of desert kangaroo rats on solid and granular substrates. The results show that the kinematics of the hop are similar on both types of substrates, despite the fact that sand absorbs mechanical energy. The combination of sand properties, toe-print area, and kangaroo rat weight likely contribute to this similarity.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Benjamin R. Sonnenberg, Carrie L. Branch, Angela M. Pitera, Lauren M. Benedict, Virginia K. Heinen, Vladimir V. Pravosudov
Summary: The underlying mechanisms connecting correlated behaviors in wild populations, such as food caching and nest building, remain largely unknown. This study shows that in mountain chickadees, individual females that cache more food also build larger nests. These findings suggest that the innate drive of adaptive food caching may spillover and influence the outcome of neutral nest building.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
