Morton S R, Hinds D S, MacMillen R E
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 92717, Irvine, California, USA.
Oecologia. 1980 Jan;46(2):143-146. doi: 10.1007/BF00540118.
Cheek pouch volumes (V in cm) were positively and significantly related to body mass (M in g) in 12 species and 14 populations of heteromyid rodents by the relationship V=0.065 M . When genera were considered separately, Microdipodops, Perognathus, and Thomomys conformed closely to the relationship, but Dipodomys did not. All species could obtain sufficient energy to meet their daily requirements from one maximum cheek pouch load, but the larger Dipodomys and Thomomys can carry a greater amount of energy relative to their needs. It is postulated that Thomomys and herbivorous Dipodomys conform to the relationship because they must transport food of low density and nutritional value; other Dipodomys, which feed on seeds of high density and greater nutritional worth, appear to have passed a threshold in size beyond which conformance to an allometric relationship is unnecessary. Thus, the two most important factors governing cheek pouch capacity are body mass and the density of the preferred food.
在12个物种和14个种群的更格卢鼠科啮齿动物中，颊囊体积（V，单位为立方厘米）与体重（M，单位为克）呈正相关且显著相关，其关系为V = 0.065M。当分别考虑各个属时，小更格卢鼠属、更格卢鼠属和囊鼠属与该关系拟合得很好，但更格卢鼠属则不然。所有物种都能从一次最大颊囊装载量中获取足够的能量来满足其每日需求，但体型较大的更格卢鼠属和囊鼠属相对于其需求而言能够携带更多的能量。据推测，囊鼠属和食草的更格卢鼠属符合这种关系是因为它们必须运输低密度和低营养价值的食物；而以高密度和高营养价值种子为食的其他更格卢鼠属似乎已经超过了一个体型阈值，超过该阈值就无需符合异速生长关系。因此，决定颊囊容量的两个最重要因素是体重和偏好食物的密度。
