i find something about South America rodent。
Origin
The first known rodent fossil in South America is represented by an undescribed species from the Late Eocene/Early Oligocene deposits. By the late Oligocene, all superfamilies and most families of caviomorphs are present in the fossil record.
During this time, South America was isolated from all other continents. Several hypotheses have been proposed as to how hystricognath rodents colonized this island continent. Most require that a small group of these rodents traveled across ocean bodies atop flotsam.
The most common hypothesis suggests that the ancestor to all modern caviomorphs migrated across the Atlantic Ocean (then narrower) from Africa (Lavocat, 1969; Huchon and Douzery, 2000). This is supported by molecular results, which suggest that the Phiomorpha (as restricted to Bathyergidae, Petromuridae, and Thryonomyidae) are sister taxa to the Caviomorpha. In fact, until the discovery of the Laotian Rock Rat, all modern hystricognath families were restricted to South America, Africa, or had a range that included Africa (Hystricidae).
The principal alternative hypothesis is that the caviomorph ancestor arose in Asia and migrated to South America through another continent. Most commonly, North America is cited as the most likely continent (Wood, 1985) as connections between North America and Asia were common via Beringia, and North America appears to have been closer to South America than any other continent at this time. The "Franimorpha" were once proposed as a potential North American rodent group that may represent an ancestor to the Caviomorpha, but most modern researchers consider franimorphs to have been protrogomorphous instead of hystricomorphous.
Fossil evidence suggests the Entodacrya may have originated in Asia (Marivaux et al., 2004) and this is cited as potential evidence for an Asian origin for Caviomorpha as well. Likewise, Jenkins et al. (2005) argue that their discovery of a hystricognath rodent family (Laonastidae) exclusive to Asia may be further evidence for an Asian origin of caviomorphs.
Alternatively, the caviomorphs may have originated in Asia, but traveled through Africa, Australia and Antarctica, or Africa and Antarctica (noted but not advocated by Huchon and Douzery, 2000). Alternatively they may have originated in Africa and traveled to South America via Antarctica.
New World monkeys appear to have colonized South America from Africa or another Old World continent at a similar time. Many researchers think that these two colonizations may be part of the same biogeographic event.
关于豪猪：
它虽然名字叫“猪”,而且与猪一样,都属于哺乳动物,但豪猪与猪的亲缘关系相距甚远,不是一个家族,猪是偶蹄类动物,而豪猪为啮齿类动物,应该说豪猪与老鼠是近亲。 豪猪的身体强壮,看上去却有些笨头笨脑,体长55—77厘米,尾长8—14厘米,豪猪亚目(hystricomorpha)包括南美豪猪类(caviomorpha)和非洲豪猪(phiomorpha)两个大类(或亚目)及旧大陆豪猪(hystricidae)一个地位不定的小科。头骨及下颌均为豪猪型,咬肌穿过大眶下孔,门齿和釉质层全为复系型(multiseria),颊齿4个,脊形.
Caviomorph rodents underwent an explosive diversification upon arrival into South America. They managed to outcompete other animals in rodent-like niches such as certain South American marsupials. Retaining a predominantly herbivorous diet, they expanded their size range to encompass a range from rat-sized echimyids to the bison-sized Phoberomys. Meanwhile ecologies included burrowing gopher-like forms such as tuco-tucos, arboreal forms such as porcupines and certain spiny rats, running forms such as maras and aquatic forms such as the capybara and nutria. Habitats range from grasslands (maras), high mountains (chinchillas and chinchilla rats), forest edges (prehensile-tailed porcupines) and dense tropical forests (pacas and acouchis).
Although many species of caviomorphs have migrated into Central America since the Great American Interchange, only a single living species, the North American Porcupine, has naturally colonized North America (the extinct capybara Neochoerus pinckneyi also accomplished this feat). The nutria has been introduced into North America and has proven a highly successful invasive species there.
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发表于 2008-5-12 18:42:00
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