Evidence of a population of leaf-eared mice Phyllotis vaccarum above 6,000 m in the Andes and a survey of high-elevation mammals.

ABSTRACT: Biologists have long pondered the extreme limits of life on Earth, including the maximum elevation at which species can live and reproduce. Here we review evidence of a self-sustaining population of mice at an elevation that exceeds that of all previously reported for mammals. Five expeditions over 10 years to Volcán Llullaillaco on the Argentina/Chile border observed and collected mice at elevations ranging from 5,070 m at the mountain's base to the summit at 6,739 m (22,110 feet). Previously unreported evidence includes observations and photographs of live animals and mummified remains, environmental DNA, and a soil microbial community reflecting animal activity that are evaluated in combination with previously reported video recordings and capture of live mice. All of the evidence ident

SUBMITTER: Steppan SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9469927 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature