Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

On the role of phylogeny in determining activity patterns of rodents

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Evolutionary Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Evolutionary plasticity is limited, to a certain extent, by phylogenetic constraints. We asked whether the diel activity patterns of animals reflect their phylogenies by analyzing daily activity patterns in the order Rodentia. We carried out a literature survey of activity patterns of 700 species, placing each in an activity time category: diurnal, nocturnal, or active at both periods (a-rhythmic). The proportion of rodents active at these categories in the entire order, was compared to the activity patterns of species of different families for which we had data for over ten species each: Dipodidae, Echimyidae, Geomyidae, Heteromyidae, Muridae, and Sciuridae. Activity times of rodents from different habitat types were also compared to the ordinal activity time pattern. We also calculated the probability that two random species (from a particular subgroup: family, habitat, etc.) will be active in the same period of the day and compared it to this probability with species drawn from the entire order. Activity patterns at the family level were significantly different from the ordinal pattern, emphasizing the strong relationship between intra-family taxonomic affiliation and daily activity patterns. Large families (Muridae and Sciuridae) analyzed by subfamilies and tribes showed a similar but stronger pattern than that of the family level. Thus it is clear that phylogeny constrains the evolution of activity patterns in rodents, and may limit their ability to use the time niche axis for ecological separation. Rodents living in cold habitats differed significantly from the ordinal pattern, showing more diurnal and a-rhythmic activity patterns, possibly due to physiological constraints. Ground-dwelling rodents differed significantly, showing a high tendency towards a-rhythmic activity, perhaps reflecting their specialized habitat.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • MC Antle R Silver (2005) ArticleTitleOrchestrating time: arrangements of the brain circadian clock Trends Neurosci 28 145–151 Occurrence Handle15749168 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2MXitVeis78%3D Occurrence Handle10.1016/j.tins.2005.01.003

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MJ Benton (2000) Vertebrate palaeontology EditionNumber2 Blackwell Science Ltd Oxford, England

    Google Scholar 

  • S Daan (1981) Adaptive daily strategies in behavior J Aschoff (Eds) Handbook of behavioral neurobiology 4: biological rhythms Plenum press New York and London 275–298

    Google Scholar 

  • C Darwin (1859) On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life John Murray London

    Google Scholar 

  • T Day PA Abrams JM Chase (2002) ArticleTitleThe role of size-specific predation in the evolution and diversification of prey life histories Evolution 56 877–887 Occurrence Handle12093024 Occurrence Handle10.1554/0014-3820(2002)056[0877:TROSSP]2.0.CO;2

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Degen AA (1997) Ecophysiology of small desert mammals. In: Cloudsley-Thompson JL (ed), Springer, Berlin

  • PJ DeCoursey (2004) The behavioural ecology and evolution of biological timing systems JC Dunlap JJ Loros PJ DeCoursey (Eds) Chronobiology, biological timekeeping Sinauer Associates, Inc. Publishers Sunderland, Massachusetts 27–65

    Google Scholar 

  • BD Goldman SL Goldman AP Riccio J Terkel (1997) ArticleTitleCircadian patterns of locomotor activity and body temperature in blind mole-rats, Spalax ehrenbergi J Biol Rhythm 12 348–361 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DyaK1c7gtFyltA%3D%3D Occurrence Handle10.1177/074873049701200407

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • SJ Gould RC Lewontin (1979) ArticleTitleThe spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian paradigm Proc R Soc Lond B Bio 205 581–598 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:Bi%2BD2sbovVU%3D Occurrence Handle10.1098/rspb.1979.0086

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • JL Hartenberger (1998) ArticleTitleDescription of the radiation of the Roentia (Mammalia) from the Late Paleocene to the Miocene; phylogenetic consequences C R Acad Sci II A 326 439–444

    Google Scholar 

  • D Huchon O Madsen MJJB Sibbald K Ament MJ Stanhope F Catzeflis WW Jong Particlede EJP Douzery (2002) ArticleTitleRodent phylogeny and a timescale for the evolution of Glires: evidence from an extensive taxon sampling using three nuclear genes Mol Biol Evol 19 1053–1065 Occurrence Handle12082125 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD38Xlt1aktr0%3D

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • GH Jacobs (1993) ArticleTitleThe distribution and nature of color vision among the mammals Biol Rev Cambridge Philos Soc 68 413–471 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:ByyA2M%2FgvFE%3D Occurrence Handle8347768 Occurrence Handle10.1111/j.1469-185X.1993.tb00738.x

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • N Kronfeld A Haim T Dayan N Zisapel M Klingenspor G Heldmaier (2000) ArticleTitleSeasonal thermogenic acclimation of diurnally and nocturnally active desert spiny mice Physiol Biochem Zool 73 37–44 Occurrence Handle10.1086/316718

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • N Kronfeld-Schor T Dayan R Elvert A Haim N Zisapel G Heldmaier (2001a) ArticleTitleOn the use of the time axis for ecological separation: diel rhythms as an evolutionary constraint Am Nat 158 451–457 Occurrence Handle10.1086/321991 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DC%2BD1crjsVSruw%3D%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • N Kronfeld-Schor T Dayan ME Jones I Kremer Y Mandelik M Wollberg Y Yassur D Gaton (2001b) ArticleTitleRetinal structure and foraging microhabitat use of the golden spiny mouse J Mammal 82 1016–1025 Occurrence Handle10.1644/1545-1542(2001)082<1016:RSAFMU>2.0.CO;2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • N Kronfeld-Schor T Dayan (2003) ArticleTitlePartitioning of time as an ecological resource Annu Rev Ecol Syst 34 153–181 Occurrence Handle10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.34.011802.132435

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D Lack (1947) Darwin’s finches Cambridge University Press Cambridge, England

    Google Scholar 

  • JH Lawton (1999) ArticleTitleAre there general laws in ecology? Oikos 84 177–192 Occurrence Handle10.2307/3546712

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SL Lima LM Dill (1990) ArticleTitleBehavioral decisions made under the risk of predation: a review and prospectus Can J Zool 68 619–640 Occurrence Handle10.1139/z90-092

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • JB Losos M Leal RE Glor K Queiroz ParticleDe PE Hertz LR Schettino AC Lara TR Jackman A Larson (2003) ArticleTitleNiche lability in the evolution of a Caribbean lizard community Nature 424 542–545 Occurrence Handle12891355 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3sXlvVGis7o%3D Occurrence Handle10.1038/nature01814

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • D Morris (1965) The mammals, a guide to living species Hodder and Stoughton Great Britain

    Google Scholar 

  • RM Nowak (1999) Walker's Mammals of the World EditionNumber6 John Hopkins University Press Baltimore, Maryland

    Google Scholar 

  • H Oster A Avivi A Joel (2002) ArticleTitleA switch from diurnal to nocturnal activity in S. ehrenbergi is accompanied by an uncoupling of light input and the circadian clock Curr Biol 12 1919–1922 Occurrence Handle12445384 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD38XovFCitb4%3D Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0960-9822(02)01263-0

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • ER Pianka LJ Vitt (2003) Lizards University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California

    Google Scholar 

  • AP Riccio BU Goldman (2000) ArticleTitleCircadian rhythms of locomotor activity in naked-mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) Physiol Behav 71 1–13 Occurrence Handle11134679 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3cXovFKjsbk%3D Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0031-9384(00)00281-X

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • SA Richards (2002) ArticleTitleTemporal partitioning and aggression among foragers; modelling the effects of stochasticity and individual state Behav Ecol 13 427–438 Occurrence Handle10.1093/beheco/13.3.427

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CB Saper TE Scammell J Lu (2005) ArticleTitleHypothalamic regulation of sleep and circadian rhythms Nature 437 1257–1263 Occurrence Handle16251950 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2MXhtFCrurrP Occurrence Handle10.1038/nature04284

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • CB Saper J Lu TC Chou J Gooley (2005) ArticleTitleThe hypothalamic integrator for circadian rhythms Trends Neurosci 28 142–157 Occurrence Handle10.1016/j.tins.2004.12.009 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2MXitVeis7o%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • TW Schoener (1974a) ArticleTitleResource partitioning in ecological communities Science 185 27–38 Occurrence Handle10.1126/science.185.4145.27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • TW Schoener (1974b) ArticleTitleThe compression hypothesis and temporal resource partitioning Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 71 4169–4172 Occurrence Handle10.1073/pnas.71.10.4169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D Simberloff (2004) ArticleTitleCommunity ecology: is it time to move on? Am Nat 163 787–799 Occurrence Handle15266378 Occurrence Handle10.1086/420777

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • L Smale T Lee AA Nunez (2003) ArticleTitleMammalian diurnality: some facts and gaps J Biol Rhythm 18 356–366 Occurrence Handle10.1177/0748730403256651

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • I Tattersall (1988) ArticleTitleCathemeral activity in primates: a definition Folia Primatol 49 200–202 Occurrence Handle10.1159/000156323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CO Webb DD Ackerly MA McPeek MJ Donoghue (2002) ArticleTitlePhylogenies and community ecology Annu Rev Ecol Syst 33 475–505 Occurrence Handle10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.33.010802.150448

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein M (2003) Spiny arthropods, spiny parasites and spiny mice—availability and ecology in En Gedi. M.Sc. dissertation, Tel Aviv University, Israel (in Hebrew)

  • JA Weins JF Addicot TJ Case J Diamond (1986) Overview: the importance of spatial and temporal scale in ecological investigation J Diamond TJ Case (Eds) Community ecology Harper and Row New York 145–153

    Google Scholar 

  • P Willmer G Stone I Johnston (2000) Environmental physiology of animals Blackwell Science Ltd Paris, France

    Google Scholar 

  • DE Wilson DM Reeder (1993) Mammal species of the world EditionNumber2 Smithsonian Institution Press Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • KV Young ED Brodie SuffixJr ED Brodie (2005) ArticleTitleHow the horned lizard got its horns Science 304 65 Occurrence Handle10.1126/science.1094790

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Uri Roll, Tamar Dayan & Noga Kronfeld-Schor

Authors
  1. Uri Roll
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tamar Dayan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Noga Kronfeld-Schor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Uri Roll.

Electronic supplementary material

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Roll, U., Dayan, T. & Kronfeld-Schor, N. On the role of phylogeny in determining activity patterns of rodents. Evol Ecol 20, 479–490 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-006-0015-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-006-0015-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation