Saltbush leaves: Excision of hypersaline tissue by a kangaroo rat
Kenagy GJ. 1972. Saltbush leaves: Excision of hypersaline tissue by a kangaroo rat. Science. 178(4065):1094-1096
Two Dipodomys kangaroo rats have different feeding behaviors which allow them to coexist together in the Great Basin scrub habitat in Owens Valley of eastern California. Over twenty Dipodomys species are desert-dwelling, granivorous rodents that eat dried seeds, seek little water or succulent vegetation, and conserve water loss by producing highly concentrated urine. This paper describes a strikingly dietary divergence and behavioral difference in which Dipodomys microps, the chisel-toothed kangaroo rat, do not eat seeds but rather harvests saltbush leaves of the Atriplex confertifolia shrub. This evolutionary adaptation allows D. microps to use its specialized broad, flat-fronted, chisel-shaped lower incisors to shave off and discard the outer leaf layers while eating the inner vascular tissue consisting of high-starch photosynthetic parenchyma bundles. In springtime, these succulent saltbush leaves have water content as high as 80 percent that enable D. microps to survive in extreme desert conditions.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Kenagy, G.
- Units
- JOTR
- Keywords
- Adaptation, dietary food habits, electrolytes, kangaroo rat Dipodomys microps, saltbush leaves Atriplex confertifolia, Taxa Links To References, Water Conservation