Limb proportions and locomotor behavior in South American rodents
Start Date
29-4-2022 3:45 PM
Location
Alter Hall Poster Session 2 - 2nd floor
Abstract
Rodents are the most species-rich order within Mammalia and have evolved differences in limb proportions to accommodate various habitats, which helps us understand the connection between locomotor structure and speciation. The primary aim of this study is to broadly evaluate the relationship between locomotor behavior and limb proportions, specifically the length of the principal long bones in five selected species of rodents in South America. Relative to some previous studies of limb proportions, this study focuses on animals that are only prey. The rodents were placed into two groups based on (i) openness of habitat and (ii) escape strategy from predators. Three limb indices were computed from measurements made on digital images of the humerus, radius, femur and tibia of Ondatras, Chinchillas, Petauristidae, Capybaras, and Viscachas and subjected to an analysis of variance (ANOVA). I hypothesized that animals that live in open habitats would have long distal limb elements which enables them to run, whereas species residing in dense vegetation would have shorter distal limb bones giving them more power to dig. As predicted, results indicate that rodents living in areas with sparse vegetation such as Ondatras, Chinchillas, and Petauristidae exhibit significantly longer distal elements than the Capybaras and Viscachas.
Limb proportions and locomotor behavior in South American rodents
Alter Hall Poster Session 2 - 2nd floor
Rodents are the most species-rich order within Mammalia and have evolved differences in limb proportions to accommodate various habitats, which helps us understand the connection between locomotor structure and speciation. The primary aim of this study is to broadly evaluate the relationship between locomotor behavior and limb proportions, specifically the length of the principal long bones in five selected species of rodents in South America. Relative to some previous studies of limb proportions, this study focuses on animals that are only prey. The rodents were placed into two groups based on (i) openness of habitat and (ii) escape strategy from predators. Three limb indices were computed from measurements made on digital images of the humerus, radius, femur and tibia of Ondatras, Chinchillas, Petauristidae, Capybaras, and Viscachas and subjected to an analysis of variance (ANOVA). I hypothesized that animals that live in open habitats would have long distal limb elements which enables them to run, whereas species residing in dense vegetation would have shorter distal limb bones giving them more power to dig. As predicted, results indicate that rodents living in areas with sparse vegetation such as Ondatras, Chinchillas, and Petauristidae exhibit significantly longer distal elements than the Capybaras and Viscachas.
