Between-population differences in digestive flexibility in the olivaceous field mouse

Abstract

The flexibility of digestive traits characterizes a standard model of physiological flexibility, demonstrating that animals adjust their digestive attributes in order to maximize overall energy return. Using an intraspecific experimental study,weevaluated the amount of flexibility in digestive tract mass and length in individuals from field mouse populations inhabiting semi-arid and temperate rain forest habitats and acclimated for six months to diets of different qualities. In accordance with the predictions of the theory of digestion, we observed a highly significant relationship between dietary variability and digestive flexibility in both specific digestive chambers and in the total digestive tract mass and length. Specifically, we found higher digestive plasticity in response to diet quality in rodents inhabiting southern temperate ecosystems with higher dietary variability in comparison to individuals from northern semi-arid habitats.