The Octodontidae Revisited

GALLARDO, M. H., RICARDO A. OJEDA, C. GONZÁLEZ Y C. RÍOS.

Contributions to honor the career of Oliver Pearson (1915-2003)

University of California Publications in Zoology .

Lugar: Berkeley, California, EEUU; Año: 2007; p. 695 - 720

The monophyletic and depauperate assemblage of South American octodontid rodents has experienced an extensive adaptive radiation from above-ground dwellers to subterranean, saxicolous, and gerbil-like deserticolous life forms. Complex and saltational chromosomal repatterning is a hallmark of octodontid evolution. Recent molecular evidence links these chromosome dynamics with quantum genome size shifts, and probably with reticulate evolution via introgressive hybridization in the desert dwellers Tympanoctomys barrerae and Pipanacoctomys aureus. Genome duplication represents a novel mechanism of evolution in mammals and its adaptive role is reflected in the ability of deserticolous species to colonize the extreme environment of salt flats. Unique to Tympanoctomys is a the rigid bundle of hairs behind the upper incisors which is crucial to efficiently peel saltbush leaves and probably explains its broader distribution relative to P. aureus. This feature, in association with other attributes (e. g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys to g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys to which is crucial to efficiently peel saltbush leaves and probably explains its broader distribution relative to P. aureus. This feature, in association with other attributes (e. g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys to g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys to represents a novel mechanism of evolution in mammals and its adaptive role is reflected in the ability of deserticolous species to colonize the extreme environment of salt flats. Unique to Tympanoctomys is a the rigid bundle of hairs behind the upper incisors which is crucial to efficiently peel saltbush leaves and probably explains its broader distribution relative to P. aureus. This feature, in association with other attributes (e. g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys to g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys to which is crucial to efficiently peel saltbush leaves and probably explains its broader distribution relative to P. aureus. This feature, in association with other attributes (e. g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys to g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys to Tympanoctomys barrerae and Pipanacoctomys aureus. Genome duplication represents a novel mechanism of evolution in mammals and its adaptive role is reflected in the ability of deserticolous species to colonize the extreme environment of salt flats. Unique to Tympanoctomys is a the rigid bundle of hairs behind the upper incisors which is crucial to efficiently peel saltbush leaves and probably explains its broader distribution relative to P. aureus. This feature, in association with other attributes (e. g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys to g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys to which is crucial to efficiently peel saltbush leaves and probably explains its broader distribution relative to P. aureus. This feature, in association with other attributes (e. g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys to g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys to Tympanoctomys is a the rigid bundle of hairs behind the upper incisors which is crucial to efficiently peel saltbush leaves and probably explains its broader distribution relative to P. aureus. This feature, in association with other attributes (e. g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys to g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys to P. aureus. This feature, in association with other attributes (e. g., specialized kidneys, large bullae, feeding behavior) has enabled Tympanoctomys toTympanoctomys to cope with extreme environmental conditions. Key words: Octodontidae, Octodontids, South American mammals, tetraploidy, Tympanoctomys barrerae..