Abstract
It is established that Hutchinson’s ratio of the weights and sizes of the body and foraging organs in similar species is not fully obeyed in shrew species of the genus Sorex. Similarity in the centroid size of the mandible was observed in the large species S. isodon and S. araneus. Differences in the shape of the mandible, which is intensely used in foraging, were detected between the species by geometric morphometrics. Interspecific differences were found in mandibular indices, which reflect trophic specialization and functional features of the mandibles. Shrews can therefore avoid competition even when Hutchinson’s rule is violated. The avoidance is due to a transformation and specialization of the mandible and changes in prey capture methods and diet, rather than to changes in size. Hutchinson’s ecological rule is thus not mandatory, but is only one of the conditions for reducing competition between closely related species.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are grateful to staff of the Museum at the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology for kindly providing material for the study.
Funding
This work was supported by a state contract with the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology (project no. 122021000091-2).
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This article does not contain any experimental studies involving animals or human subjects performed by any of the authors.
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Translated by T. Tkacheva
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Vasil’ev, A.G., Bol’shakov, V.N., Vasil’eva, I.A. et al. Can Shrews Avoid Competition When Hutchinson’s Ecological Rule Is Disobeyed?. Dokl Biol Sci 510, 155–159 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0012496623700333
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0012496623700333