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Soil and burrow temperatures, and the resource characteristics of the social mole‐rat Cryptomys damarensis (Bathyergidae) in the Kalahari Desert
Author(s) -
LOVEGROVE B. G.,
KNIGHTELOFF ANETTE
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1988.tb02438.x
Subject(s) - burrow , biology , diel vertical migration , arid , ecology , abundance (ecology) , habitat , national park
The diel temperatures of the soils and burrows of the Damara mole‐rat Cryptomys damarensis were measured during winter and summer in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, South Africa. Also, the subterranean resource characteristics of C. damarensis , such as food abundance, spatial dispersion patterns and quality, were measured. The mean temperatures of the primary burrows were 33.5 C and 18.8 C during summer and winter, respectively. These temperatures were higher and lower than the upper and lower limits of thermoneutrality of C. damarensis , respectively. Resource characteristics were found to be habitat‐specific. Where geophytes occurred in high densities, such as the bulbs of Dipcadi gracillimum (40–118 bulbs.m ‐2 ), they were small (0.41–5.17 g), but represented a good quality diet. Where densities were low, such as for the tubers of Acanlhosicyos naudinianus (0.17‐0‐407 tubers.m ‐2 ), they were considerably larger (670 g), but represented a poor quality diet. These patterns confirm a general trend with increasing aridity, of increased geophyte sizes and decreased geophyte densities. In the Bathyergidae, these trends are accompanied by increased sociality and decreased body sizes.