Due in part to the versatile tribosphenic molar, mammalian dentitions have become modified for almost every conceivable diet, including leaves, grass, roots and tubers, seeds, fruits, sap, nectar, bark, meat, fish, mol-lusks, krill, insects and other invertebrates, and even bones. They have evolved a remarkable diversity of skeletal adaptations for life in the air, in trees, on land, under ground, and in water. We assume that both groups do not compete directly as previously expected, but specialisation to different subterranean niches is the main factor responsible for their spatial segregation.From small, probably terrestrial, carnivorous or insectivorous Mesozoic ancestors, mammals have diversified to occupy almost every major environment throughout the world. Finally, we discuss how the distribution of Tachyoryctes is influenced by competition with another group of subterranean herbivores on the continent, the African mole-rats. This demonstrates the intriguing phenomenon of accelerated morphological evolution of rodents occupying the Afroalpine zone in Ethiopia. One of the most interesting findings of the study is the internal position of T. However, to solve taxonomic issues, future detailed morphological analyses should be conducted on all main clades together with genetic analysis of material from areas of their supposed contact.
annectens (Thomas, 1891), and all other names of taxa described from outside of Ethiopia should be considered its junior synonyms. All individuals outside of Ethiopia belong to a single recently diverged and expanded clade. Contrary to expectation based on the largest root-rat diversity in Kenya (up to eight species by some authors), we found the highest diversity in the Ethiopian highlands, because all but one putative species occur there.
fast and repeated changes between extremely dry and humid conditions, which both limited root-rat dispersal, probably stimulated their initial genetic diversification. These clades were organised into three basal groups whose branching is not well resolved, probably due to fast radiation in the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene.
Using two mitochondrial and three nuclear genes, we found six main genetic clades possibly representing separate species. In our study, we carried out a multilocus analysis of root-rats’ genetic diversity based on samples from 41 localities representing most of Tachyoryctes geographic distribution. Species with relatively high surface activity, the giant root-rat Tachyoryctes macrocephalus, which is by far largest member of the genus, and the more fossorial African root-rat Tachyoryctes splendens, which eventually has been divided up to 12–13 species, represent two major morphological forms within the genus.
There is strong disagreement about species diversity of the genus, because some authors accept two species, while others more than ten. 105-115 ISSN: 1055-7903 Subject: Pliocene epoch, Tachyoryctes, animal taxonomy, climate change, genes, genetic analysis, genetic variation, geographical distribution, herbivores, highlands, mitochondria, mole rats, niches, Ethiopia, Kenya Abstract: Root-rats of the genus Tachyoryctes (Spalacidae) are subterranean herbivores occupying open humid habitats in the highlands of Eastern Africa. Lavrenchenko, Sewnet Mengistu, Afework Bekele, Ondřej Mikula, Josef Bryja Source: Molecular phylogenetics and evolution 2018 v.126 pp. Ethiopian highlands as a cradle of the African fossorial root-rats (genus Tachyoryctes), the genetic evidence Author: Radim Šumbera, Jarmila Krásová, Leonid A.