Water Balance and Other Ecological Observations on Three Species of Phyllotis in Northwestern Argentina

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Abstract
Water balance was examined in three species of leaf-eared mice (Phyllotis griseoflavus, P. darwini, and P. osilae) from northwestern Argentina. The degree of specialization for aridity in each species conforms with its general habitat requirements. P. griseoflavus, which exists in the driest habitats, is the species most capable of existing without access to free water in the laboratory, P. darwini is intermediate, whereas P. osilae is the least so adapted. Preliminary behavioral observations suggest that these three species differ greatly in their degree of aggressiveness. An interplay of behavior and physiology may explain the macro- and microdistributional patterns which have been described for these species.

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