Tail Length Evolution in Deer Mice: Linking Morphology, Behavior, and Function.

ABSTRACT: Determining how variation in morphology affects animal performance (and ultimately fitness) is key to understanding the complete process of evolutionary adaptation. Long tails have evolved many times in arboreal and semi-arboreal rodents; in deer mice, long tails have evolved repeatedly in populations occupying forested habitat even within a single species (Peromyscus maniculatus). Here, we use a combination of functional modeling, laboratory studies, and museum records to test hypotheses about the function of tail-length variation in deer mice. First, we use computational models, informed by museum records documenting natural variation in tail length, to test whether differences in tail morphology between forest and prairie subspecies can influence performance in behavioral contexts relev

SUBMITTER: Hager ER 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8427178 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature