Mata Paola Santos da, Cardoso Thiago Dos Santos, Bonvicino Cibele Rodrigues, Vilela Roberto do Val
Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-617, RJ, Brazil.
Laboratório de Biologia e Parasitologia de Mamíferos Silvestres Reservatórios, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/Fiocruz), Avenida Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, Brazil.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jul 26;15(15):2200. doi: 10.3390/ani15152200.
The arboreal rodent , which has a wide geographic distribution across Brazilian biomes, provides a model for investigating environmental influences on morphological variation. We assessed craniodental differences between the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes, as well as along latitudinal gradients, using 45 specimens from 18 localities. Linear morphometric analyses (21 measurements) revealed no significant sexual dimorphism, allowing for pooled analyses. Principal Component Discriminant Analysis (DAPC) confirmed significant morphological divergence between biomes (72% accuracy, < 0.01). We identified bony palate length (BPL) as the most discriminating variable, with higher values in the Atlantic Forest, suggesting a possible dietary adaptation in response to ecological pressures. Latitudinal effects were modest (adjusted R = 0.05) although significant (F = 3.63; = 0.03), with southern populations exhibiting larger cranial dimensions than northern ones. We conclude that biome type and latitude played important roles in shaping cranial morphology in populations.
这种树栖啮齿动物在巴西的生物群落中有着广泛的地理分布，为研究环境对形态变异的影响提供了一个模型。我们使用来自18个地点的45个标本，评估了大西洋森林生物群落和塞拉多生物群落之间以及沿纬度梯度的颅齿差异。线性形态计量分析（21项测量）显示没有显著的两性异形，因此可以进行合并分析。主成分判别分析（DAPC）证实了生物群落之间存在显著的形态差异（准确率72%，<0.01）。我们确定腭骨长度（BPL）是最具区分性的变量，在大西洋森林中其值更高，这表明可能存在对生态压力的饮食适应。纬度效应虽然显著（F = 3.63； = 0.03），但较为适度（调整后的R = 0.05），南部种群的颅骨尺寸比北部种群更大。我们得出结论，生物群落类型和纬度在塑造该种群的颅骨形态方面发挥了重要作用。
