Latitude matters: an examination of behavioural plasticity in dietary traits amongst extant and Pleistocene Rangifer tarandus
The geographical distribution of species affects their dietary traits relative to resources available in different latitudes. Dietary traits of Rangifer tarandus , a species with a wide geographical distribution, were investigated using tooth mesowear and microwear methods in eight extant population...
| Published in: | Boreas |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2016
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bor.12205 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fbor.12205 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/bor.12205 |
| Summary: | The geographical distribution of species affects their dietary traits relative to resources available in different latitudes. Dietary traits of Rangifer tarandus , a species with a wide geographical distribution, were investigated using tooth mesowear and microwear methods in eight extant populations from Canada. The data show a latitudinal shift corresponding to a vegetational gradient from the taiga to the tundra, i.e. an increase of lichen consumption from the low to the high latitudes. This pattern is also evidenced in the Pleistocene fossil record of Europe where R. tarandus populations from low latitude localities show a lower consumption of lichen than at higher latitudes. |
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