CONTENT - International Society of Zoological Sciences

S18 ICZ2008 - Abstracts
The Lusitanian pine vole and the Mediterranean pine vole in a
sympatry area: using presence signs to discriminate among
similar species
Sara M. Santos 1 , António P. Mira 2 and Maria Luz Mathias 1
1 Centre of Environmental Biology, Department of Animal Biology,
Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, Lisbon
1749-016, Portugal
2 Unit for Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, University
of Évora, Pólo da Mitra, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal
The Lusitanian pine vole (Microtus lusitanicus) and the
Mediterranean pine vole (Microtus duodecimcostatus) are sister
species with an allopatric occurrence pattern and a narrow band of
potential sympatry in central Portugal. Our aim was to determine if
presence signs can be used to discriminate the presence of the
two species in an area of sympatry (Northern Alentejo) and, if so,
which characteristics achieve best classification accuracy.
A total of 175 trapping plots were sampled across the study area.
Previous to traps placement, ten presence signs were randomly
selected for measurements of three variables: mean diameter of
soil mounds, proportion of entrance holes (number of presence
signs with entrance hole / number of presence signs) and mean
diameter of entrance holes.
Based on a classification tree analysis, our results show that
presence signs can be used to discriminate between the two
species of pine voles in the studied sympatry area. The
characteristic that most discriminates the groups is the proportion
of entrance holes: plots with > 0.8 correspond to M. lusitanicus
presence (i.e. mostly entrance holes with few or none soil mounds
present), while plots with < 0.8 correspond to M. duodecimcostatus
(i.e. mostly soil mounds with few or none entrance holes).
Competition, historical geography, and community assembly
rules – birds of the Solomon Islands
Daniel Simberloff 1 and Michael Collins 2
1
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 USA
2
Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Virginia 23943
USA
The birds of the Solomon Islands were crucial in the development
of community assembly rules, but their distribution patterns have
not been rigorously examined to consider alternative hypotheses
for which species are found on which islands. A detailed study of
checkerboard distributions – pairs of species that never occupy the
same island – suggests that Pleistocene and current geography
combined with dispersal limitation may well explain the great
majority of them. Interspecific competition is rarely a cogent
explanation for such non-overlapping distributions in this system.
In fact, the checkerboard metaphor does not represent Solomon
Islands bird ranges; rather, mutually exclusive, ecologically similar
species pairs are almost always regionally allopatric, and the
boundaries between their ranges almost always correspond to
Pleistocene and present dispersal barriers.
Current status of black-capped marmot in North East Siberia
Nickita G. Solomonov
Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone SB RAS, 41
Lenin avenue, 677891 Yakutsk, Russia
Black-capped marmot Marmota camtchatica Pall from Yakutia is
represented with two populations of subspecies forms. The
Yakutia subspecies M. c. bungei Kastch inhabits North East
Yakutia occurring in mountain ecosystems of the Moma, Chersky,
Verkhoyansk mountain-ridges reaching the Yana and Lena
downstreams along the Kharaulakh Range. Baikal marmot
(Barguzin) M. c. doppelmayeri Birula occurs in the upstream of the
Aldan in the Zverev mountain-ridge, in the basins of the Olekma,
Tokko and Chara. In the 50-60s of the last century distribution and
biology of Yakutia marmot were carefully studied by Kapitonov, as
for Baikal subspecies we have only scanty information. We
gathered detailed evidence on number and state of Yakutia
subspecies during All-union census of marmot number in 1984.
- 70 -
According to these data endangered Kondek population of Yakutia
marmot and south-Yakutia population of Baikal subspecies
entered on the YASSR Red Book in 1987. Further wildlife
biologists of our Institute – Yu. Revin, Yu. Lukovtsev, N.
Solomonov, V. Vasiliev, I. Oklopkov, F. Yakovlev including the
researchers from other institutions – N. Zheleznov, V. Lyamkin, G.
Boyeskorov studied different aspects of black-capped marmot
biology and distribution. Vasiliev and Semenov defended Ph.D.
theses on marmot hibernation and characteristics of its biology.
Because of decline in numbers and fragment spreading of both
Yakutia black-capped marmot subspecies they joined in the Red
Book of Sakha in 2003. Black-capped marmot is the most
important intermediate between marmots of the “marmota” and
“lobec” groups. This gives rise to the interest for researchers
concerning to its origin and settling during a historical span. By
level of morphological differentiation black-capped marmot
subspecies M. c. kamtchatica and M. c. doppelmayeri especially
differ at the level of independent species (Kapitonov 1978;
Baryshnikov, et al. 1981; Gromov, Erbayeva 1995). Important
immune-genetic differences are found in all three marmot
subspecies (Tolnerovskaya, et al. 1990). We assume that G.
Boyeskorov’s proposal (1999) to regard Marmota camtchatica a
superspecies is reasonable
Ecophysiological adaptations of small mammals to the
conditions of the cold climate (9)
Nickita G. Solomonov 1 , Andrey I. Anufriev 1 , Alexander K.
Akhremenko 1 , Tatyana N. Solomonova 1 , Vladimir N. Vasiliev 2 ,
Innokenti M. Okhlopkov 1 and Victor T. Sedalischev 1
1 Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone SB RAS, 41
Lenin avenue, 677891 Yakutsk; 2 Department of Biological
Resources MNP RS(Ya), 18, Sverdlov str., 677005, Yakutsk
Already A.F. Middendorf (1869) indicated the most important
adaptations of Siberian animals to cold: well-developed fur cover,
ability to store fat reserves, adaptive behavior to the conditions of
cold. In the 20th century schools of thought headed by physiologist
A.D. Slonim and zoologists N.I. Kalabukhov and S.S. Schwartz
contributed to the development of this problem.
Our research on adaptation of animals was set in the Yakut State
University and Institute of Biology Ya.B. SB USSR Academy of
Sciences in the 60s-early 70s of the last century. The main objects
of investigation are representatives of Sciuridae: Marmota
camtschatica, Spermophilus undulatus, Spermophilus parryi and
Tamias sibiricus; voles: Clethrionomus rutilus, Microtus gregalis,
Microtus hyperboreus, Microtus oeconomus, synanthropic rodents:
Ondatra zibethica, Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus.
Some interesting features, metabolism level and content of
biologically active substances in tissues such as vitamin A and C
were studied. A particular attention was given to the study of
spatial and biological structure of populations, pattern of
colonization over the territory, food and protective conditions,
features of dynamics number. It has been determined that
abundant species adapted to the conditions of the cold climate due
to active metabolism, well developed chemical and behavioral
thermoregulation, variability of morphophysiological parameters.
The aboriginal forms adapt to cold at the expense of deeper
physiological adaptations because of highly developed physical
thermoregulation and strong seasonal metabolism changes. A
disorder in the functioning of eco-geographical regulations
according to Bergman and Allen causing a hypobiotic state has
been observed in the forms most adapted to the cold. Very similar
are the trends of physiological-biochemical variability during winter
hibernation of small mammals and hypobiotic states in large
mammals (Yakut horse, moose, reindeer).