Abstract
A costly search for food in subterranean rodents resulted in various adaptations improving their foraging success under given ecological conditions. In Spalax ehrenbergi superspecies, adaptations to local ecological conditions can promote speciation, which was recently supposed to occur even in sympatry at sites where two soil types of contrasting characteristics abut each other. Quantitative description of ecological conditions in such a site has been, nevertheless, missing. We measured characteristics of food supply and soil within 16 home ranges of blind mole rats Spalax galili in an area subdivided into two parts formed by basaltic soil and pale rendzina. We also mapped nine complete mole rat burrow systems to compare burrowing patterns between the soil types. Basaltic soil had a higher food supply and was harder than rendzina even under higher moisture content and lower bulk density. Population density of mole rats was five-times lower in rendzina, possibly due to the lower food supply and higher cover of Sarcopoterium shrubs which seem to be avoided by mole rats. A combination of food supply and soil parameters probably influences burrowing patterns resulting in shorter and more complex burrow systems in basaltic soil.
Highlights
Mammals adapted for subterranean life have to deal with high energetic expenses for burrowing [1,2,3]
Most soil and food supply parameters significantly differed between basaltic soil and rendzina
No differences between the two populations in the timing of reproduction were detected. Both rendzina and basaltic soil inhabited by S. galili at the study microsite have developed in typical Mediterranean climate characterised by a strong annual alternation of a longer dry hot summer and a short cold and rainy winter [36]
Summary
Mammals adapted for subterranean life have to deal with high energetic expenses for burrowing [1,2,3]. This is true for rodents feeding on underground plant storage organs, as they must constantly extend their burrow systems in order to find new food resources. Success of the subterranean life in rodents might be enabled by various adaptations that improve their foraging success and/or reduce the risk of starvation (reviewed in [4]). Some of these adaptations involve strategies, which can be adjusted to local ecological conditions.
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