Adaptation in brain structure and respiratory and olfactory structures across environmental gradients in African and North American muroid rodents

Morphometric studies of 3D micro CT-scanned images can provide insights into the evolution of the brain and sensory structures but such data are still scarce for the most diverse mammalian order of rodents.From reviewed and new data,we tested for convergence to extreme aridity and high elevation in the sensory and brain morphology of rodents,from morphometric data from micro-CT X-ray scans of 174 crania of 16 species of three distantly re-lated African murid(soft-furred mice,Praomyini,laminate-toothed rats,Otomyini,and gerbils,Gerbillinae)clades and one North American cricetid(deer mice and white-footed mice,Peromyscus)clade.Recent studies demon-strated convergent evolution acting on the oval window area of the cochlea(enlarged in extremely arid-adapted species of Otomyini and Gerbillinae)and on endocranial volume(reduced in high elevation taxa of Otomyini and Peromyscus).However,contrary to our predictions,we did notfind evidence of convergence in brain struc-ture to aridity,or in the olfactory/respiratory system(turbinate bones)to high elevation.Brain structure differed,particularly in the petrosal lobules of the cerebellum and the olfactory bulbs,between Otomyini and Gerbillinae,with extreme arid-adapted species in each clade being highly divergent(not convergent)from other species in the same clade.We observed greater“packing”of the maxillary turbinate bones,which have important respiratory functions,in Peromyscus mice from high and low elevations compared to the high-elevation African Praomyini,but more complex patterns within Peromyscus,probably related to trade-offs in respiratory physiology and heat exchange in the nasal epithelium associated with high-elevation adaptation.

Revealing the control of migratory fueling： An integrated approach combining laboratory and field studies in northern wheatears Oenanthe oenanthe

Migratory birds rely on fueling prior to migratory flights. Fueling in migrants is controlled by intrinsic as well as ex- trinsic factors. From captive studies we have started understanding the internal mechanisms controlling bird migration. Field studies have demonstrated the effects of external factors, such as food availability, weather, competitors, parasites or diseases, on the stopover behavior of migrants. However, an integrated approach is still missing to study coherently how the innate migration program interacts with the varying environmental cues and to estimate the contribution of the innate migration program and the environment to realized migration. The northern wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe offers a unique opportunity for integrated studies. It breeds across almost the whole Holarctic with just a ＂gap＂ between eastern Canada and Alaska. All breeding populations over- winter in sub-Saharan Africa which makes the northern wheatear one of the most long-distant migratory songbirds with extraor- dinary long non-stop flights across oceans. It is a nocturnal migrant which travels without parental or social aid/guidance. Thus, young birds rely entirely on endogenous mechanisms of timing, route selection and fueling on their first outbound migration. By establishing indoor housing under controlled conditions the endogenous control mechanisms of northern wheatear migration could be revealed. At the same time, environmental factors controlling fueling could be investigated in the field. On migration wheatears occur in a variety of habitats with sparse vegetation where their stopover behavior could be quantitatively studied in the light of ＂optimal migration＂ theory by the use of remote balances, radio-tagging and even experimentally manipulated food availability. The present paper summarizes our approach to understand the control of migration in northern wheatears by combin- ing field and laboratory studies at various spatial and temporal scales, and linking various sub-disciplines .