| induced and constitutive responses of digestive enzymes to plant toxins in an herbivorous mammal. | many plants produce plant secondary compounds (pscs) that bind and inhibit the digestive enzymes of herbivores, thus limiting digestibility for the herbivore. herbivorous insects employ several physiological responses to overcome the anti-nutritive effects of pscs. however, studies in vertebrates have not shown such responses, perhaps stemming from the fact that previously studied vertebrates were not herbivorous. the responses of the digestive system to dietary pscs in populations of bryant's w ... | 2011 | 22116755 |
| biotransformation enzyme expression in the nasal epithelium of woodrats. | when herbivores come in contact with volatile plant secondary compounds (psc) that enter the nasal passages the only barrier between the nasal cavity and the brain is the nasal epithelium and the biotransformation enzymes present there. the expression of two biotransformation enzymes cytochrome p450 2b (cyp2b) and glutathione-s-transferase (gst) was investigated in the nasal epithelia and livers of three populations of woodrats. one population of neotoma albigula was fed juniper that contains vo ... | 2013 | 23058987 |
| ecological segregation in a small mammal hybrid zone: habitat-specific mating opportunities and selection against hybrids restrict gene flow on a fine spatial scale. | the degree to which closely related species interbreed is determined by a complex interaction of ecological, behavioral, and genetic factors. we examine the degree of interbreeding between two woodrat species, neotoma bryanti and n. lepida, at a sharp ecological transition. we identify the ecological association of each genotypic class, assess the opportunity for mating between these groups, and test whether they have similar patterns of year-to-year persistence on our study site. we find that 1 ... | 2014 | 24152220 |
| experimental evidence for asymmetric mate preference and aggression: behavioral interactions in a woodrat (neotoma) hybrid zone. | female mate preferences may be under strong selection in zones of contact between closely related species because of greater variation in available mates and the potential costs of hybridization. we studied female mate preferences experimentally in a zone of secondary contact between desert and bryant's woodrat (neotoma lepida and n. bryanti) in the southern foothills of the sierra nevada of california. we tested female preference for conspecific versus heterospecific males in paired choice tria ... | 2013 | 24093823 |
| experience matters: prior exposure to plant toxins enhances diversity of gut microbes in herbivores. | for decades, ecologists have hypothesised that exposure to plant secondary compounds (pscs) modifies herbivore-associated microbial community composition. this notion has not been critically evaluated in wild mammalian herbivores on evolutionary timescales. we investigated responses of the microbial communities of two woodrat species (neotoma bryanti and n. lepida). for each species, we compared experienced populations that independently converged to feed on the same toxic plant (creosote bush, ... | 2012 | 22715970 |