Soil hardness of burrows related to the usage frequencies of the lesser Japanese mole, <i>Mogera imaizumii </i>(Talpidae)

Iwasa, M.A.; Takahashi, M.

Russian Journal of Theriology. Main page

Soil hardness of burrows related to the usage frequencies of the lesser Japanese mole, Mogera imaizumii (Talpidae)
Iwasa M.A., Takahashi M.
P. 129–135
The soil hardness inside burrows was studied in the lesser Japanese mole, Mogera imaizumii, to evaluate differences in the hardness of the ground surface, sidewalls, and bottoms of regular burrows (high usage frequency, Rb) and temporary burrows (low usage frequency, Tb). We analyzed usage frequency at
68 burrow points by setting snare-type tube traps, which triggered responses by the moles, at each burrow point to record the usage of moles without capturing them. These burrow points were classified as Rb or Tb based on the presence or absence of a response, respectively, sixteen hours after being set; 20 burrow points were identified as Rb, and 48 were identified as Tb. No differences in the frequencies of Rb and Tb were observed relation to the depth, which is related to the vertical gradient of hardness. In addition, newly detected burrows were more frequently found to be Tb than in Rb during early spring to summer, which seems to be related to mole dispersal. Moreover, we measured the soil hardness of the ground surface, sidewalls, and bottoms of the burrows at the 68 burrow points. On comparisons of the relationships between the soil hardness and the burrow usage frequency, we found that the bottoms were significantly harder in Rb than in Tb. Therefore, the hardness of the bottom soil in Rb is considered to have been caused by the frequent treading of mole movements.

DOI: 10.15298/rusjtheriol.20.2.02

Литература

Abe H. 1968. Classification and biology of Japanese Insectivora (Mammalia). I. Biological aspects // Journal of Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University. Vol.55. P.429–458.

Abe H. 1974. [Change of the boundary-line of two moles distributions in a period of 14 years] // Journal of Mammalogical Society of Japan. Vol.6. P.13–23 [in Japanese with English summary].

Abe H. 1991. [Trapping methods of insectivores] // Mammalian Science. Vol.31. P.139–143 [in Japanese].

Abe H. 1996. Habitat factors affecting geographic size variation in Japanese moles // Mammal Study. Vol.21. P.71–87.

Abe H. 1998. [Taxonomy and morphology of Talpidae] // Abe H. & Yokohata Y. (eds.). [The Natural History of Insectivora (Mammalia) in Japan]. Shobara: Hiba Society of Natural History. P.25–58 [in Japanese].

Abe H. 1999. Nation-wide investigation of moles in Japan — geographic and interspecific variations of an insectivore // Yokohata Y. & Nakamura S. (eds.). Recent Advances in the Biology of Japanese Insectivora. Proceedings of the Symposium on the Biology of Insectivores in Japan and on the Wildlife Conservation. Shobara: Hiba Society of Natural History. P.15–19.

Abe H. 2001a. [Isolated relic populations and their keeping mechanisms in moles] // Mammalian Science. Vol.41. P.35–52 [in Japanese with English summary].

Abe H. 2001b. Soil hardness, a factor affecting the range expansion of Mogera wogura in Japan // Mammal Study. Vol.26. P.45–52.

Abe H. 2010. [The northeastern front in the distribution of Mogera wogura in the central Honshu, Japan in 2009, es- pecially the past 50 years’ change in Nagano Prefecture] // Mammalian Science. Vol.50. P.55–66 [in Japanese with English summary].

Antinuchi C. & Busch C. 1992. Burrow structure in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum // Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. Vol.57. P.63–168.

Carotenuto A.R., Guarracino F., Šumbera R. & Fralfi M. 2020. Burrowing below ground: interaction between soil mechan- ics and evolution of subterranean mammals // Journal of the Royal Society Interface. Vol.17. P.20190521.

Davies K.C. & Jarvis J.U.M. 1986. The burrow systems and burrowing dynamics of the mole-rats Bathyergus suillus and Cryptomys hottentotus in the fynbos of the south-western Cape, South Africa // Journal of Zoology. Vol.209. P.125–147.

Di Febbraro M. & Loy A. 2014. A new method based on indirect evidence to infer activity pattern in moles. A test on the blind mole in Central Apennines // Folia Zoologica. Vol.63. P.116–121.

Funmilayo O. 1977. Distribution and abundance of moles (Talpa europea L.) in relation to physical and food supply // Oecologia. Vol.30. P.277–283.

Hashimoto T. & Abe M. 2001. Body size and reproductive schedules in two parapatric moles, Mogera tokudae and Mogera imaizumii, in the Echigo Plain // Mammal Study. Vol.26. P.35–44.

Heth G. 1989. Burrow patterns of the mole rat Spalax ehrenbergi in two soil types (terra-rossa and rendzina) in Mount Carmel, Israel // Journal of Zoology. Vol.217. P.39–56.

Hosoda T. & Tsuyuguchi M. 2000. [Distribution of Mogera wogura Temminck and M. imaizumii Kuroda (Insectivora, Talpidae) in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan] // Nanki Seibutu. Vol.42. P.15–20 [in Japanese].

Imaizumi Y. 1970. [The Handbook of Japanese Land Mammals. Vol.1]. Tokyo: Shin-shicho-sha. 350 p. [in Japanese].

Imaizumi Y. 1983. [Hunting of moles] // Hidaka T. (ed.). [Meanings of Animal Behavior]. Hadano: Tokai University Press. P.123–147 [in Japanese].

Imaizumi Y. & Imaizumi T. 1970. [Interspecific relationship in two mole species in the plains of Niigata, Honshu: 1. Geographic distribution] // Journal of Mammalogical Society of Japan. Vol.5. P.15–18 [in Japanese with English summary].

Kley N.J. & Kearney M. 2007. Adaptation for digging and burrowing // Hall B.K. (ed.). Fins into Limbs: Evolution, Development, and Transformation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. P.284–309.

Kuroi Y. & Iwasa M.A. 2016. Activity of male internal genitalia and breeding season in the lesser Japanese mole inferred from morphometric and histological analyses // Mammal Study. Vol.41. P.25–30.

Lacey E., Patton J. & Cameron G. 2000. Life Underground: The Biology of Subterranean Rodents. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 449 p.

Lövy M., Skliba J. & Šumbera R. 2013. Spatial and temporal activity patterns of the free-living giant mole-rat (Fuko- mys mechowii), the largest social bathyergid // PLoS One. Vol.8. P.e55357.

Lövy M., Skliba J., Hrouzkova E., Dvorakova V., Nevo E. & Sumbera R. 2015. Habitat and burrow system characteris- tics of the blind mole rat Spalax galili in an area of supposed sympatric speciation // PLoS One. Vol.10. P.e0133157.

Loy A., Beolchini F., Martullo S. & Capanna E. 1994. Territorial behaviour of Talpa romana in an olivegrove habitat in cen- tral Italy // Italian Journal of Zoology. Vol.61. P.207–211.

López de Hierro L.G., Moleón M., Lupiáñez D.G., Virgós E. & Jiménez R. 2013. Positive and negative unintended human-induced effects on Iberian mole abundance at the edge of its distribution area // Mammalian Biology. Vol.78. P.276–282.

Makita Y. 1972. [Notes on Mogera kobeae] // Journal of Mam- malogical Society of Japan. Vol.5. P.169 [in Japanese].

Makita Y. 1975. [Notes on Mogera kobeae (2)] // Journal of Mammalogical Society of Japan. Vol.6. P.140–141 [in Japanese].

Mellanby K. 1971. The Mole. London: William Collins Sons & Co Ltd. 160 p.

Milner C.B. & Ball D.F. 2009. Factors affecting the distribu- tion of the mole (Talpa europaea) in Snowdonia (North Wales) // Journal of Zoology. Vol.162. P.61–69.

Moribe J. & Yokohata Y. 2011. Mixed distribution of Mogera imaizumii and Mogera wogura in the Tedori Alluvial Fan in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan // Mammal Study. Vol.36. P.135–139.

Naruse Y. 1963. [Quaternary volcanic ashes in the Kanto Re- gion] // Quaternary Research. Vol.3. P.94–109 [in Japanese with English summary].

Nezu K. 1990. [Distribution of Mogera kobeae and M. wogura from the Shiodo-shima Is., Kagawa Prefecture, Japan] // Kagawa Seibutsu. Vol.17. P.33–38 [in Japanese].

Ohdachi S.D., Ishibashi Y., Iwasa M.A., Fukui D. & Saitoh T. 2015. The Wild Mammals of Japan. 2nd ed. Kyoto: Shou- kadoh. 506 p.

Oka S., Shimazu M., Unozawa A., Katsurajima S. & Kakimi T. 1979. [Geology of the Fujisawa District (Scale 1:50,000)]. Tsukuba: Geological Survey of Japan [in Japanese].

Saey T., van Meirvenne M., de Pue J., van de Vijver E. & Delefortrie S. 2014. Reconstructing mole tunnels using frequency-domain ground penetrating radar // Applied Soil Ecology. Vol.80. P.77–83.

Saito K., Chinzei S. & Tsuchiya K. 2003. [The investigation on the geographical distribution boundary of Mogera wogura and M. imaizumii in Fuji and Hakone area] // Animate. Vol.4. P.39–42 [in Japanese].

Šumbera R., Burda H., Chitaukali W.N. & Kubova J. 2003. Silvery mole-rats (Heliophobius argenteocinereus, Bathy- ergidae) change their burrow architecture seasonally // Naturwissenschaften. Vol.90. P.370–373.

Šumbera R., Mazoch V., Patzenhauerová H., Lövy M., Šklíba J., Bryja J. & Burda H. 2012. Burrow architecture, family composition and habitat characteristics of the largest social African mole-rat: the giant mole-rat constructs really giant burrow systems // Acta Theriologica. Vol.57. P.121–130.

Šumbera R., Šklíba J., Elichová M., Chitaukali W.N. & Bur- da H. 2007. Natural history and burrow system architecture of the silvery mole-rat from Brachystegia woodland // Journal of Zoology. Vol.77. P.77–84.

Tezuka H. 1963. [Note on the noticeable habit of Mogera wogura wogura (Temminck)] // Journal of Mammalogical Society of Japan. Vol.2. P.45–48 [in Japanese with English summary].

Woods J.A. & Mead-Briggs A.R. 1978. The daily cycle of activ- ity in the mole (Talpa europaea) and its seasonal changes, as revealed by radioactive monitoring of the nest // Journal of Zoology. Vol.184. P.563–572.

Yokohata Y. 1998. [The ecology of Talpidae] // Abe H. & Yokohata Y. (eds.). [The Natural History of Insectivora (Mammalia) in Japan]. Shobara: Hiba Society of Natural History. P.67–187 [in Japanese].

Yoshiyuki M. 2002. [Notes on a tunnel of Mogera wogura wogura (Temminck, 1843) (Mammalia, Insectivora)] // Miscellaneous Reports of the National Park for Nature Study. Vol.34. P.157–162 [in Japanese with English summary].

Скачать PDF