TY  - JOUR
A1  - Velo-Antón, Guillermo
A1  - Boratyński, Zbyszek
A1  - Ferreira, Clara Mendes
A1  - Lima, Vanessa O.
A1  - Alves, Paulo C.
A1  - Brito, José C.
T1  - Intraspecific genetic diversity and distribution of North African hedgehogs (Mammalia: Erinaceidae)
JF  - Biological journal of the Linnean Society : a journal of evolution
N2  - Despite growing efforts to halt biodiversity loss, knowledge of species diversity and distribution is highly geographically biased, leaving some areas unexplored. Taxa distributed in remote, desert areas, such as hedgehogs (Mammalia; Eulipotyphla) in North Africa, are good examples of current knowledge gaps in systematics and biogeography. Here we studied the geographical distribution and intraspecific genetic diversity of hedgehogs in North Africa. Specimens belonging to North African and Eurasian species were analysed with mitochondrial (control region, CR) and nuclear (recombination activating gene 1, RAG1) gene fragments. This revealed a broader geographical distribution of Atelerix algirus in south-western Libya and of Paraechinus aethiopicus along the Atlantic Sahara. High intraspecific genetic differentiation was found in A. algirus and A. albiventris at the mitochondrial level, with nuclear haplotype sharing across their ranges. These findings suggest that biogeographical patterns of hedgehogs in North Africa are more complex than previously suggested, highlighting a need for further investigation in this remote and poorly known area.
KW  - Atelerix albiventris
KW  - Atelerix algirus
KW  - conservation genetics
KW  - cryptic diversity
KW  - distribution
KW  - Paraechinus aethiopicus
KW  - Phylogeny
KW  - Sahara-Sahel
Y1  - 2019
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blz030
SN  - 0024-4066
SN  - 1095-8312
VL  - 127
IS  - 1
SP  - 156
EP  - 163
PB  - Oxford University Press
CY  - Oxford
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ferreira, Clara Mendes
A1  - Dammhahn, Melanie
A1  - Eccard, Jana
T1  - So many choices, so little time
BT  - food preference and movement vary with the landscape of fear
JF  - Ecology and evolution
N2  - Spatial and temporal variation in perceived predation risk is an important determinant of movement and foraging activity of animals. Foraging in this landscape of fear, individuals need to decide where and when to move, and what resources to choose. Foraging theory predicts the outcome of these decisions based on energetic trade-offs, but complex interactions between perceived predation risk and preferences of foragers for certain functional traits of their resources are rarely considered. Here, we studied the interactive effects of perceived predation risk on food trait preferences and foraging behavior in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) in experimental landscapes. Individuals (n = 19) were subjected for periods of 24 h to two extreme, risk-uniform landscapes (either risky or safe), containing 25 discrete food patches, filled with seeds of four plant species in even amounts. Seeds varied in functional traits: size, nutrients, and shape. We evaluated whether and how risk modifies forager preference for functional traits. We also investigated whether perceived risk and distance from shelter affected giving-up density (GUD), time in patches, and number of patch visits. In safe landscapes, individuals increased time spent in patches, lowered GUD and visited distant patches more often compared to risky landscapes. Individuals preferred bigger seeds independent of risk, but in the safe treatment they preferred fat-rich over carb-rich seeds. Thus, higher densities of resource levels remained in risky landscapes, while in safe landscapes resource density was lower and less diverse due to selective foraging. Our results suggest that the interaction of perceived risk and dietary preference adds an additional layer to the cascading effects of a landscape of fear which affects biodiversity at resource level.
KW  - foraging behavior
KW  - functional traits
KW  - giving-up density
KW  - myodes glareolus
KW  - perceived predation risk
KW  - seed ecology
Y1  - 2023
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10330
SN  - 2045-7758
VL  - 13
IS  - 7
PB  - Wiley
CY  - Hoboken
ER  -