Dietary morphology of two island-endemic murid rodent clades is consistent with persistent, incumbent-imposed competitive interactions.

ABSTRACT: A lineage colonizing a geographic region with no competitors may exhibit rapid diversification due to greater ecological opportunity. The resultant species diversity of this primary-colonizing (incumbent) clade may limit subsequent lineages' ability to persist unless these non-incumbent lineages are ecologically distinct. We compare the diversity in diet-related mandibular morphology of two sympatric murid rodent clades endemic to Luzon Island, Philippines-incumbent Phloeomyini and secondary-colonizing Chrotomyini-to the mandibular morphological diversity of Sahul Hydromyini, the sister clade of Chrotomyini and the incumbent murid lineage on the supercontinent of Sahul. This three-clade comparison allows us to test the hypothesis that incumbent lineages can force persistent ecological dist

SUBMITTER: Rowsey DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7062021 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature