Facultative predation and scavenging by mammalian carnivores: seasonal, regional and intra‐guild comparisons
Abstract
The extent to which vertebrate carnivores shift facultatively between predation and scavenging has recently been emphasized. Potentially, all carnivores have to do is wait until animals succumb to the debilitating effects of advancing age. However, this may be insufficient because of intense competition among other scavengers and decomposers for food. Moreover, the availability of carcasses of animals dying from causes other than predation varies seasonally, so carnivores must be adapted to exploit various sources of food through the seasonal cycle.
We explore how mammalian carnivores cope with seasonality in car...
Source: Mammal Review - March 28, 2013 Category: Zoology Authors: Laura M. Pereira, Norman Owen-Smith, Marcos Moleón Tags: Review Source Type: research
Documenting the biogeographic history of Microtus cabrerae through its fossil record
We describe changes in the geographic distribution of Microtus cabrerae throughout its history based on its palaeontological record, and link them to environmental changes that have taken place since the appearance of Microtus cabrerae.
A series of successive chronological intervals comprising the recorded existence of the species was established, so that the majority of the published fossil records of Microtus cabrerae could be used for analysis. For each interval, a map with the inferred distribution of the species was created. The maps were used to establish variations in the species' distribution through time.
A first ...
Source: Mammal Review - March 6, 2013 Category: Zoology Authors: César Laplana, Paloma Sevilla Tags: Review Source Type: research
Are mouflon Ovis gmelini musimon really grazers? A review of variation in diet composition
Abstract
We reviewed data on the diets of mouflon (Mediterranean island populations Ovis gmelini musimon and introduced hybridized populations Ovis gmelini musimon × Ovis sp.) from 33 field studies (comprising 51 independent data points suitable for analysis) to detect general patterns in the botanical composition of the diet and identify ecological factors explaining its variation. We expected mouflon, generally classified as grazers, to include botanical entities other than grass in their diet, especially when they are forced to do so by low resource availability, and in certain seasons.
Diet composition was invest...
Source: Mammal Review - January 21, 2013 Category: Zoology Authors: Pascal Marchand, Claire Redjadj, Mathieu Garel, Jean‐Marc Cugnasse, Daniel Maillard, Anne Loison Tags: Review Source Type: research
Bukovina blind mole rat Spalax graecus revisited: phylogenetics, morphology, taxonomy, habitat associations and conservation
Abstract
The Bukovina blind mole rat Spalax graecus is the westernmost representative of the genus and one of the least known European mammals. As currently understood, the species contains three isolates on both sides of the south‐eastern Carpathian Mountains. Our focus was on Bukovina blind mole rats from north‐eastern Romania and adjacent Ukraine, i.e. on the nominal subspecies Spalax graecus graecus Topachevskii 1976.
Phylogenetic reconstruction based on 1140‐bp‐long cytochrome b sequence revealed a sister position of Spalax graecus against the genus Nannospalax. Pairwise Kimura two‐parameter genetic diverge...
Source: Mammal Review - January 21, 2013 Category: Zoology Authors: Gabriel Chişamera, Elena V. Bužan, Tiberiu Sahlean, Dumitru Murariu, Sara Zupan, Boris Kryštufek Tags: Review Source Type: research
A review of the population dynamics of mule deer and black‐tailed deer Odocoileus hemionus in North America
Abstract
Mule deer and black‐tailed deer Odocoileus hemionus have exhibited marked population fluctuations throughout their range over the past century. The relative contributions of predation, forage availability and weather to observed population changes remain unclear and controversial.
We reviewed 48 studies on Odocoileus hemionus survival and predation from the past 30 years and quantified age‐specific vital rates, population growth rates (λ) and causes of mortality. We also evaluated the effect of environmental variables on variation in vital rates and the contribution of age‐specific survival to population...
Source: Mammal Review - January 1, 2013 Category: Zoology Authors: Tavis D. Forrester, Heiko U. Wittmer Tags: Review Source Type: research
