Stranded on an island: consequences of forest fragmentation for body size variations in an arboreal mammal, the edible dormouse (Glis glis)
Stranded on an island: consequences of forest fragmentation for body size variations in an arboreal mammal, the edible dormouse (Glis glis)
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DOI：
10.1007/s10144-012-0310-0
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发表时间：
2012-04-01
影响因子：
1.7
通讯作者：
Weis-Dootz, Tanja
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Fietz, Joanna;Weis-Dootz, Tanja
岛屿法则指出，孤立在岛屿上的小型哺乳动物有变大的进化趋势，而大型哺乳动物则倾向于变小。然而，这些体型变化的潜在机制和生活史后果仍然是推测性的。这项研究的目的是调查一种树栖哺乳动物，可食用睡鼠（Glis Glis），是否在居住在孤立的森林碎片时表现出体型的变化。我们分析了2005年至2010年间在四个不同的森林碎片和一个连续森林中捕获的541个个体的数据集，该森林作为参考区域。所有个体的性别、年龄、体重和体型都是已知的。我们使用线性混合效应模型来研究森林破碎林和连续林之间个体的体型和质量是否存在差异。研究发现，居住在森林碎片中的可食睡鼠明显大于连续森林中的个体，符合小型哺乳动物的岛屿规则。由于食用睡鼠在白天经常使用巢箱来休息和哺育后代，因此可以在与进化相关的野外条件下很容易地研究这种啮齿动物的生活史策略。因此，食用睡鼠为研究作为栖息地破碎化反应的体型变化的潜在机制以及研究这些变化对其生活史策略的影响提供了一个很好的模式生物。
The island rule states that small mammals isolated on islands have the evolutionary tendency to become larger, while large mammals tend to become smaller. However, the underlying mechanisms and life history consequences of these insular shifts in body size still remain speculative. The aim of this study was to investigate whether an arboreal mammal, the edible dormouse (Glis glis), showed shifts in body size when inhabiting isolated forest fragments. We analysed a data set of 541 individuals captured between 2005 and 2010 in four different forest fragments and one continuous forest, which served as a reference area. Sex, age, body mass, and size of all individuals were known. We used linear mixed-effect models to investigate whether individuals differed in their body size and mass between forest fragments and continuous forest. Our study revealed that edible dormice inhabiting forest fragments were significantly larger and heavier than individuals in the continuous forest, in accordance with patterns described by the island rule for small mammals. Because edible dormice frequently use nest boxes to rest during the day and to rear offspring, the life history strategies of this rodent can be easily investigated under evolutionary relevant conditions in the field. Thus the edible dormouse represents an excellent model organism for studying the mechanisms underlying shifts in body size as a response to habitat fragmentation and to investigate the consequences of these shifts on their life history strategies.