Ecology
Associations
Known predators
Bubo virginianus
Mustelinae
Canis latrans
Mephitinae
Taxidea taxus
Buteo jamaicensis
Lynx rufus
Accipiter gentilis
Martes americana
Gulo gulo
Ursus arctos
Strigiformes
Accipitridae
Vulpes vulpes
Red racer
Pituophis
Crotalus
Aquila chrysaetos
Buteo regalis
Buteo swainsoni
Based on studies in:
Canada: Manitoba (Forest)
USA: Arizona (Forest, Montane)
USA: Arizona, Sonora Desert (Desert or dune)
USA: California, Cabrillo Point (Grassland)
USA: Montana (Tundra)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- D. I. Rasmussen, Biotic communities of Kaibab Plateau, Arizona, Ecol. Monogr. 11(3):228-275, from p. 261 (1941).
- R. D. Bird, Biotic communities of the Aspen Parkland of central Canada, Ecology, 11:356-442, from p. 410 (1930).
- L. D. Harris and L. Paur, A quantitative food web analysis of a shortgrass community, Technical Report No. 154, Grassland Biome. U.S. International Biological Program (1972), from p. 17.
- D. L. Pattie and N. A. M. Verbeek, Alpine birds of the Beartooth Mountains, Condor 68:167-176 (1966); Alpine mammals of the Beartooth Mountains, Northwest Sci. 41(3):110-117 (1967).
- P. G. Howes, The Giant Cactus Forest and Its World: A Brief Biology of the Giant Cactus Forest of Our American Southwest (Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, New York; Little, Brown, Boston; 1954), from pp. 222-239, from p. 227.
© SPIRE project
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SPIRE
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Known prey organisms
Microtus ochrogaster
Helianthus
Agropyron
Agrostis
Stipa
Pinus
shrubs
grass
herbs
alpine vegetation
Schismus barbatus
Cactaceae
seeds of other plants
Larrea
Lepidium densiflorum
Senecio multicapitatus
Artemisia frigida
Bouteloua gracilis
Kochia
Decapoda
Carex
Sporobolus cryptandrus
Ratibida columnifera
Atriplex canescens
seeds
fungus forb/shrub
lichen forb/shrub
Coleoptera
Hymenoptera
Papilionoidea
Orthoptera
misc. fur
fin
feather
Arthropoda
Anas fulvigula
Based on studies in:
Canada: Manitoba (Forest)
USA: California, Cabrillo Point (Grassland)
USA: Arizona (Forest, Montane)
USA: Montana (Tundra)
USA: Arizona, Sonora Desert (Desert or dune)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- D. I. Rasmussen, Biotic communities of Kaibab Plateau, Arizona, Ecol. Monogr. 11(3):228-275, from p. 261 (1941).
- R. D. Bird, Biotic communities of the Aspen Parkland of central Canada, Ecology, 11:356-442, from p. 410 (1930).
- L. D. Harris and L. Paur, A quantitative food web analysis of a shortgrass community, Technical Report No. 154, Grassland Biome. U.S. International Biological Program (1972), from p. 17.
- D. L. Pattie and N. A. M. Verbeek, Alpine birds of the Beartooth Mountains, Condor 68:167-176 (1966); Alpine mammals of the Beartooth Mountains, Northwest Sci. 41(3):110-117 (1967).
- P. G. Howes, The Giant Cactus Forest and Its World: A Brief Biology of the Giant Cactus Forest of Our American Southwest (Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, New York; Little, Brown, Boston; 1954), from pp. 222-239, from p. 227.
- Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2006. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed February 16, 2011 at http://animaldiversity.org. http://www.animaldiversity.org
© SPIRE project
Source:
SPIRE
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Evolution and Systematics
Functional Adaptations
Functional adaptation
Fat cells in ground squirrels generate heat rapidly following hibernation by oxidizing brown fat.
"Ground squirrels, which replenish their fat supplies regularly during hibernation, can awaken from their deep sleep in less than three hours. In this time, large amounts of fat are burned as fuel to raise the body temperature. This is accompanied by intense shivering and muscle contraction, which also generate heat. Much of the heat is derived from oxidation of brown fat, a kind of fat that contains many energy-producing cells. As much as 57 percent of the brown fat in ground squirrels is around their shoulders, with 14 percent in their neck, and most of the remainder in their thorax. This substance acts like an electric blanket, releasing heat to the heart and major blood vessels to warm them and speed the circulation of oxygen to the brain and other anterior organs, and then to the posterior body regions. During arousal, the anterior skeletal muscles receive over 16 times more blood than their counterparts in a fully awake animal, powering their shivering to produce heat for raising the body's temperature." (Shuker 2001:101)
"…Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a fat storage tissue especially abundant in small mammals and newborn humans. BAT is highly vascularised, full of mitochondria and burns fat to produce heat in a special way. Maybe it could provide the warmth the rodents require to survive winter in addition to its supposed role in arousal?
The team found that the BAT of cold acclimated rats took up fatty acids that were oxidised to generate heat. Amazingly, these rats were up to 12 times better at the conversion than the other rats. Additionally, while the other rats slowed their ventilation, the cold acclimated rats increased their breathing rate to better supply BAT with oxygenated blood and hence maintain their temperature while being cooled.
The authors decided that BAT is the true 'thermogenic machinery' for non-hibernators…Scientists think BAT fat metabolism that non-hibernators use to stay warm and remain alert during cold conditions may have been one key to the evolutionary success of early mammals." (Rummer 2010:vi)Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Shuker, KPN. 2001. The Hidden Powers of Animals: Uncovering the Secrets of Nature. London: Marshall Editions Ltd. 240 p.
- Hauton D; Coneya AM; Egginton S. 2009. Both substrate availability and utilisation contribute to the defence of core temperature in response to acute cold. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. 154(4): 514-522.
- Rummer JL. 2010. Brrrown adipose tissue: special fat for cold critters. Journal of Experimental Biology. 213: vi.
© The Biomimicry Institute
Source:
AskNature
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Functional adaptation
The underground burrows of ground squirrels are protected from flooding during rain storms because the squirrels build circular dikes to divert water.
"American ground squirrels, or prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) for example, build a circular dyke to keep rain from flooding their underground burrows." (Shuker 2001:65)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Shuker, KPN. 2001. The Hidden Powers of Animals: Uncovering the Secrets of Nature. London: Marshall Editions Ltd. 240 p.
© The Biomimicry Institute
Source:
AskNature
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Molecular Biology and Genetics
Molecular Biology
Statistics of barcoding coverage
| Specimen Records: | 172 | Public Records: | 4 |
| Specimens with Sequences: | 153 | Public Species: | 3 |
| Specimens with Barcodes: | 153 | Public BINs: | 3 |
| Species: | 22 | ||
| Species With Barcodes: | 22 | ||
© Barcode of Life Data Systems
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Barcode data
© Barcode of Life Data Systems
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Locations of barcode samples
© Barcode of Life Data Systems
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Wikipedia
Spermophilus
|
Spermophilus is a genus of ground squirrels in the family Sciuridae. The majority of ground squirrel species, over 40 in total, are usually placed in this genus. However, Spermophilus in the broad sense has been found to be paraphyletic to the certainly distinct prairie dogs, marmots, and antelope squirrels, so it has been split into several genera by Kristofer Helgen and colleagues.
Some Eurasian species are sometimes called susliks (or sousliks). This name comes from Russian суслик, suslik.[1] The scientific name of this genus means "seed-lovers".
Ground squirrels may carry fleas that transmit diseases to humans (see Black Plague), and have been destructive in tunneling underneath human habitation. Though capable of climbing, most species of ground squirrel live in open, treeless habitats.[2]
Contents |
Species
A generic revision was undertaken in 2007 by means of phylogenetic analyses using the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b. This resulted in the splitting of Spermophilus into eight genera, which with the prairie dogs, marmots, and antelope squirrels are each given as numbered clades. The exact relations between the clades are slightly unclear. Among these, 11 exclusively Palearctic species are retained as the genus Spermophilus sensu stricto (in the strictest sense).
- Clade 1, Notocitellus, the tropical ground squirrels
- Tropical ground squirrel, Notocitellus adocetus
- Ring-tailed ground squirrel, Notocitellus annulatus
- Clade 2, Ammospermophilus, the antelope squirrels
- See antelope squirrel.
- Clade 3, Otospermophilus, the rock squirrels
- Clade 4, Callospermophilus, the golden-mantled ground squirrels
- Clade 5, Xerospermophilus, the pygmy ground squirrels
- Clade 6, Cynomys, the prairie dogs
- See prairie dog
- Clade 7, Poliocitellus
- Clade 8, Ictidomys, little ground squirrels
- Clade 9, Marmota, the marmots
- See marmot.
- Clade 10, Urocitellus, Holarctic ground squirrels
- Long-tailed ground squirrel, Urocitellus undulatus
- Uinta ground squirrel, Urocitellus armatus
- Belding's ground squirrel, Urocitellus beldingi
- Idaho ground squirrel, Urocitellus brunneus
- Merriam's ground squirrel, Urocitellus canus
- Columbian ground squirrel, Urocitellus columbianus
- Wyoming ground squirrel, Urocitellus elegans
- Piute ground squirrel, Urocitellus mollis
- Arctic ground squirrel, Urocitellus parryii
- Townsend's ground squirrel, Urocitellus townsendii
- Washington ground squirrel, Urocitellus washingtoni
- Richardson's ground squirrel, Urocitellus richardsonii
- Clade 11, Spermophilus sensu stricto, Old World ground squirrels
- European ground squirrel, Spermophilus citellus
- Alashan ground squirrel, Spermophilus alashanicus
- Daurian ground squirrel, Spermophilus dauricus
- Red-cheeked ground squirrel, Spermophilus erythrogenys
- Yellow ground squirrel, Spermophilus fulvus
- Russet ground squirrel, Spermophilus major
- Little ground squirrel, Spermophilus pygmaeus
- Spermophilus relictus
- Speckled ground squirrel, Spermophilus suslicus
- Taurus ground squirrel, Spermophilus taurensis
- Asia Minor ground squirrel, Spermophilus xanthoprymnus
- Spermophilus pallidicauda
- Spermophilus ralli
- Spermophilus brevicauda
Notes
References
- Helgen, Kristofer M.; Cole, F. Russel; Helgen, Lauren E.; and Wilson, Don E (2009). "Generic Revision in the Holarctic Ground Squirrel Genus Spermophilus". Journal of Mammalogy 90 (2): 270–305. doi:10.1644/07-MAMM-A-309.1. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62dP5i1JK.
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