Burrow architecture, family composition and habitat characteristics of the largest social African mole-rat: the giant mole-rat constructs really giant burrow systems

• Autorzy: Sumbera R. , Mazoch V. , Patzenhauerova H. , Lovy M. , Skliba J. , Bryja J. , Burda H.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

Among African mole-rats, the giant mole-rat Fukomys mechowii is the largest social species. Despite several attempts to study a free-living population, information on its biology from natural habitats is very scarce. We mapped two neighbouring burrow systems of the giant mole-rat in a miombo woodland in Zambia. We provide information on the size and kin structure of the respective mole-rat families, architecture of their burrow systems, and characteristics of the food supply and soil around the two mapped and additional ten burrow systems. Both uncovered burrow systems were very large (total lengths, 2,245 and 743 m), making them the largest burrow systems ever mapped. Food resources around the additional ten burrow systems had a clumped distribution (standardized Morisita index of dispersion = 0.526), but a relatively high biomass (298 ± 455 g m−2). This, together with favourable soil conditions even in the advanced dry season (cone resistance, 328 ± 50 N m−2; soil density, 1.36 ± 0.06 g cm−3) indicates relatively hospitable ecological conditions. Both food supply and soil conditions were comparable with the conditions found in a miombo habitat of the solitary silvery mole-rat in Malawi. This suggests that there are no ecological constraints which would preclude the solitary life of a subterranean herbivore from the examined habitat. Microsatellite analysis supported the assumption that giant mole-rats live in monogamous multigenerational families with only one breeding pair of non-related animals and their offspring. The mean family size is consistent with previous findings on this species and comparable to that found in other Fukomys species studied thus far.

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Acta Theriologica
• Rocznik: 2012
• Tom: 57
• Numer: 2
• Opis fizyczny: p.121-130,fig.,ref.

Twórcy

autor

Sumbera R.

• Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

autor

Mazoch V.

• Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

autor

Patzenhauerova H.

• Department of Population Biology, Institute of Verterbrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kvetna 8, 60365 Brno, Czech Republic

autor

Lovy M.

• Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

autor

Skliba J.

• Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

autor

Bryja J.

• Department of Population Biology, Institute of Verterbrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kvetna 8, 60365 Brno, Czech Republic

autor

Burda H.

• Department of General Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitasstr. 5, 45117 Essen, Germany

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