Valle de las Cuevas y Fuerte de San Rafael (Mendoza, Argentina): Dos problemáticas localidades típicas de roedores re-evaluadas

Based on various resources, the original collection localities for five species of rodents whose type specimens were collected by Thomas Bridges during the 19th century are discussed. The taxa examined are the caviomorph species Aconaemys fuscus and Ctenomys pontifex, and the cricetids Abrothrix hirta, Euneomys mordax, and Paynomys macronyx. A. fuscus was indicated as coming from Valle de las Cuevas, while the others were collected in or near Fuerte de San Rafael, both located in Mendoza Province, Argentina. After a detailed scrutiny of the original publications, specimen labels, historical cartography, and pertinent literature, we conclude that (1) Valle de las Cuevas, a fancy name coined by Bridges, corresponds to the current locality of Valle Hermoso and (2) the association of Fuerte de San Rafael with some of the abovementioned species is apocryphal. We propose that both type localities should be corrected to Valle Hermoso, a high-Andean valley located about 30 km to the east of Volcán Peteroa.Sobre la base de diversos recursos, se discuten las localidades de colecta original para cinco roedores cuyos especímenes tipo fueron coleccionados por Thomas Bridges durante el siglo XIX. Los taxones examinados son las especies de caviomorfos Aconaemys fuscus y Ctenomys pontifex y los cricétidos Abrothrix hirta, Euneomys mordax y Paynomys macronyx. A. fuscus fue descripto como procedente de Valle de las Cuevas, mientras que los restantes como coleccionados en o cerca de Fuerte de San Rafael, ambos localizados en la Provincia de Mendoza, Argentina. Luego de un detallado escrutinio de las publicaciones originales, etiquetas de los especímenes, cartografía histórica y literatura vinculada, concluimos que (1) Valle de las Cuevas, un nombre de fantasía acuñado por Bridges, corresponde a la actual localidad Valle Hermoso y (2) que la asociación de Fuerte de San Rafael con algunas de las especies indicadas es apócrifa. Proponemos que ambas localidades típicas sean corregidas como Valle Hermoso, un valle alto-andino ubicado 30 km hacia el este del Volcán Peteroa.Fil: Tammone, Mauro Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Administración de Parques Nacionales. Parque Nacional "Nahuel Huapi"; ArgentinaFil: Pardiñas, Ulises Francisco J.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad; Ecuado

Using stable isotopes to detect responses to environmental change in parapatric ctenomyid rodents

Understanding how interspecific differences in a community play out in response to historical environmental changes provides a useful foundation for predicting the evolutionary and conservation outcomes of future changes in environmental conditions. Ecological studies have increasingly utilized stable isotopes to gain insights into the diets, and hence, the floristic composition that historical populations of mammals utilized. Here, we report on the use of stable isotope analyses of rodent teeth to explore the potential role that interspecific differences in response to past environmental changes have played in shaping observed differences in genetic structure between two parapatric species of ctenomyid rodents.Fil: Takenaka, R.. University of California at Berkeley; Estados UnidosFil: Miller, M.J.. University of California at Berkeley; Estados UnidosFil: Tammone, Mauro Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral; ArgentinaFil: Lacey, E. A.. University of California at Berkeley; Estados UnidosFil: Dawson,T. E.. University of California at Berkeley; Estados Unidos96th Annual Meeting of the American Society of MammalogistsMinneapolisEstados UnidosAmerican Society of MammalogistsUniversity of Minnesot

Disentangling the complex alpha taxonomy of Andean populations of Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) from northern Patagonia: The need for extensive sampling in heterogeneous landscapes

In the Andean portion of northern Patagonia, populations of Ctenomys are found from low-elevation plains to high-elevation meadows and valleys. Despite their prevalence, the taxonomy of these subterranean rodents remains poorly resolved. Using genetic and morphological data obtained from museum specimens and animals collected in the field, we examined the taxonomy of Ctenomys from southwestern Mendoza Province, Argentina. Our analyses suggest the presence of at least five species of Ctenomys within the study area. The highest, innermost portion of the Andes is occupied by C. maulinus. To the east, the mountains and foothills are inhabited by two forms associated with the "mendocinus"and the "magellanicus"lineages, respectively. The former appears to be a local variant of C. emilianus, while the latter is sister to C. pontifex. Although C. pontifex was not encountered during our field sampling, it remains a valid species that likely is restricted to the isolated Valle Hermoso in westernmost Mendoza Province. In addition, we report an undescribed form from Las Leñas Valley that is associated with the "mendocinus"lineage. This complex alpha taxonomic scenario occurs within less than one degree of latitude, thereby highlighting the need to conduct detailed field collections to improve our knowledge of the systematics of Ctenomys.Fil: Tammone, Mauro Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Lacey, Eileen A.. University of California at Berkeley; Estados UnidosFil: Voglino, Damián. Museo de Ciencias Naturales Antonio Scasso; ArgentinaFil: Cuéllar Soto, Erika. Sultan Qaboos University; OmánFil: Pardiñas, Ulises Francisco J.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral; Argentin

Micromammals, climate change and human impact: How much changed the communities of southern South America in the last 500 years?

Diversas evidencias sugieren que la actual configuración de las comunidades -i.e., riqueza (número de especies) y diversidad (distribución de la abundancia de especies)- de micromamíferos en el sur de América del Sur se habría generado en el período posterior a la llegada de los europeos (1500 AD). En este trabajo se revisa el registro fósil para pequeños roedores y marsupiales en los últimos 500 años, con énfasis en aquellos de la región Pampeana y la Patagonia. Esta evidencia se comparó con los registros actuales correspondientes a más de 700 muestras de egagrópilas de estos mismos sectores geográficos. En una primera aproximación, se destaca que la riqueza y diversidad de las comunidades de micromamíferos fue mayor en la etapa previa al impacto antrópico más profundo, con una abrupta caída de ambos parámetros hacia el presente. Se sugiere que las transformaciones producidas por la ganadería y agricultura extensivas habrían provocado una uniformidad de hábitat beneficiosa para algunos taxones oportunistas, facilitando su dispersión y permitiendo el incremento, en algunos casos dramático, de sus poblaciones. En los últimos 500 años se registran variaciones significativas en la distribución de otros taxones, que en algunos casos implican extinciones locales involucrando cientos o miles de kilómetros. Sobre 46 especies de roedores consideradas como Preocupación Menor por la UICN y con registro fósil para este segmento temporal, 23 (50%) han experimentado retracciones en sus rangos de distribución o reducciones drásticas de su abundancia. Al menos 9 taxones se habrían extinguido completamente en América del Sur, incluyendo 1 marsupial, 1 quiróptero y 7 roedores. Fenómenos similares se registran en otras áreas del Hemisferio Sur, tanto en contextos continentales como insulares. Este panorama pone de manifiesto la necesidad de evaluar más cuidadosamente la situación de algunas especies con poblaciones consideradas como estables, pero susceptibles de verse afectadas frente a nuevos cambios extensivos en los ambientes (e.g., megaminería, expansión de la frontera agrícola), a juzgar por lo que indica el registro fósil.Introduction: The last 500 years of the historical era, an interval that corresponds to the concerted dispersal of European explorers, traders, and colonists around the globe, has witnessed the global disappearance of ~90 mammal species. Besides the known cases of biological extinctions, this time period was also characterized by the regional extirpations of specialized taxa and by the expansion and population growth of some opportunistic species. Several lines of evidence suggest that the current configuration of small mammal communities -i. e. richness (number of species) and diversity (distribution of species abundance)- in southern South America would have been generated in the period after the arrival of Europeans ca. 1500 AD. In this study, we reviewed the fossil record for small rodents and marsupials during the last 500 years, with emphasis on the Pampean and Patagonian regions. Based on these findings, we offer some considerations concerning the biogeography and conservation of these species. Methods: Micromammals from archaeological and paleontological sites have provided considerable information on environmental conditions during the Quaternary in South America. In this work, we reviewed several micromammal fossil samples, mostly generated by the trophic activity of owls. The use of this kind of data involves some extrinsic and intrinsic biases that must be considered at the time to study the diversity of past communities, such as the bird involved on the accumulations, its hunting techniques, the time of the year, the size and behavior of the prey species, etc. For this work, we compared the fossil samples with more than 700 owl pellet assemblages of the same geographical areas. Results: Richness and diversity of small mammal communities was higher prior to the deepest human impact (> 0.5 ka), showing a pronounced drop in both parameters to the present. The regional extinction of some cricetid rodents and small marsupials was recorded, both in the Pampean (e. g. Bibimys torresi,Pseudoryzomys simplex) and in the Patagonian regions (e. g. Euneomys mordax, Lestodelphys halli, Tympanoctomys kirchnerorum), as well as the biological extinctions of the bat Desmodus cf. D. draculae and the cavy Galea tixiensis in the Pampas. At this same time, opportunistic species (e. g. Calomys spp.,Oligoryzomys longicaudatus) showed a dramatic increase of their populations, especially in the most extensively disturbed areas. Discussion and conclusions: In the last 500 years, significant variations occurred in the micromammal assemblages of southern South America. These changes included the dispersion and increase (in some cases extensive) of some specialized species and the regional extinctions of others, involving hundreds to thousands of kilometers of distributional extent. We suggest that the changes produced by livestock and agriculture have caused extensive habitat uniformity which was beneficial for some opportunistic taxa (e. g. Calomys spp., Oligoryzomys longicaudatus), facilitating their dispersion and allowing the increase of their populations. Anthropic disturbances also include the extensive use of fire, urbanization, and introduction of exotic forbs and grasses. Of about 46 species rodents considered as Least Concern by the IUCN and with fossil record for the last 500 years, 23 (50 %) have experienced drastic reductions in their range or abundance during the Late Holocene. At least nine taxa are completely extinct, including one marsupial, one bat and seven rodents. Similar phenomena are recorded in other areas of the Southern Hemisphere, both in continental and island contexts. This evaluation of the fossil record highlights the need to evaluate more carefully the status of some species with supposedly stable populations, but which are likely to be affected by future extensive changes in their environments (e. g. mining, expansion of the agricultural frontier).Fil: Teta, Pablo Vicente. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Formoso, Anahí Elizabeth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Tammone, Mauro Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: de Tommaso, Daniela Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Fernando Julián. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Torres, Julia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Pardiñas, Ulises Francisco J.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentin

Micromammals, climate change and human impact: How much changed the communities of southern South America in the last 500 years?

Diversas evidencias sugieren que la actual configuración de las comunidades -i.e., riqueza (número de especies) y diversidad (distribución de la abundancia de especies)- de micromamíferos en el sur de América del Sur se habría generado en el período posterior a la llegada de los europeos (1500 AD). En este trabajo se revisa el registro fósil para pequeños roedores y marsupiales en los últimos 500 años, con énfasis en aquellos de la región Pampeana y la Patagonia. Esta evidencia se comparó con los registros actuales correspondientes a más de 700 muestras de egagrópilas de estos mismos sectores geográficos. En una primera aproximación, se destaca que la riqueza y diversidad de las comunidades de micromamíferos fue mayor en la etapa previa al impacto antrópico más profundo, con una abrupta caída de ambos parámetros hacia el presente. Se sugiere que las transformaciones producidas por la ganadería y agricultura extensivas habrían provocado una uniformidad de hábitat beneficiosa para algunos taxones oportunistas, facilitando su dispersión y permitiendo el incremento, en algunos casos dramático, de sus poblaciones. En los últimos 500 años se registran variaciones significativas en la distribución de otros taxones, que en algunos casos implican extinciones locales involucrando cientos o miles de kilómetros. Sobre 46 especies de roedores consideradas como Preocupación Menor por la UICN y con registro fósil para este segmento temporal, 23 (50%) han experimentado retracciones en sus rangos de distribución o reducciones drásticas de su abundancia. Al menos 9 taxones se habrían extinguido completamente en América del Sur, incluyendo 1 marsupial, 1 quiróptero y 7 roedores. Fenómenos similares se registran en otras áreas del Hemisferio Sur, tanto en contextos continentales como insulares. Este panorama pone de manifiesto la necesidad de evaluar más cuidadosamente la situación de algunas especies con poblaciones consideradas como estables, pero susceptibles de verse afectadas frente a nuevos cambios extensivos en los ambientes (e.g., megaminería, expansión de la frontera agrícola), a juzgar por lo que indica el registro fósil.Introduction: The last 500 years of the historical era, an interval that corresponds to the concerted dispersal of European explorers, traders, and colonists around the globe, has witnessed the global disappearance of ~90 mammal species. Besides the known cases of biological extinctions, this time period was also characterized by the regional extirpations of specialized taxa and by the expansion and population growth of some opportunistic species. Several lines of evidence suggest that the current configuration of small mammal communities -i.e. richness (number of species) and diversity (distribution of species abundance)- in southern South America would have been generated in the period after the arrival of Europeans ca. 1500 AD. In this study, we reviewed the fossil record for small rodents and marsupials during the last 500 years, with emphasis on the Pampean and Patagonian regions. Based on these findings, we offer some considerations concerning the biogeography and conservation of these species. Methods: Micromammals from archaeological and paleontological sites have provided considerable information on environmental conditions during the Quaternary in South America. In this work, we reviewed several micromammal fossil samples, mostly generated by the trophic activity of owls. The use of this kind of data involves some extrinsic and intrinsic biases that must be considered at the time to study the diversity of past communities, such as the bird involved on the accumulations, its hunting techniques, the time of the year, the size and behavior of the prey species, etc. For this work, we compared the fossil samples with more than 700 owl pellet assemblages of the same geographical areas. Results: Richness and diversity of small mammal communities was higher prior to the deepest human impact (> 0.5 ka), showing a pronounced drop in both parameters to the present. The regional extinction of some cricetid rodents and small marsupials was recorded, both in the Pampean (e. g. Bibimys torresi, Pseudoryzomys simplex) and in the Patagonian regions (e. g. Euneomys mordax, Lestodelphys halli, Tympanoctomys kirchnerorum), as well as the biological extinctions of the bat Desmodus cf. D. draculae and the cavy Galea tixiensis in the Pampas. At this same time, opportunistic species (e. g. Calomys spp., Oligoryzomys longicaudatus) showed a dramatic increase of their populations, especially in the most extensively disturbed areas. Discussion and conclusions: In the last 500 years, significant variations occurred in the micromammal assemblages of southern South America. These changes included the dispersion and increase (in some cases extensive) of some specialized species and the regional extinctions of others, involving hundreds to thousands of kilometers of distributional extent. We suggest that the changes produced by livestock and agriculture have caused extensive habitat uniformity which was beneficial for some opportunistic taxa (e. g. Calomys spp., Oligoryzomys longicaudatus), facilitating their dispersion and allowing the increase of their populations. Anthropic disturbances also include the extensive use of fire, urbanization, and introduction of exotic forbs and grasses. Of about 46 species rodents considered as Least Concern by the IUCN and with fossil record for the last 500 years, 23 (50 %) have experienced drastic reductions in their range or abundance during the Late Holocene. At least nine taxa are completely extinct, including one marsupial, one bat and seven rodents. Similar phenomena are recorded in other areas of the Southern Hemisphere, both in continental and island contexts. This evaluation of the fossil record highlights the need to evaluate more carefully the status of some species with supposedly stable populations, but which are likely to be affected by future extensive changes in their environments (e. g. mining, expansion of the agricultural frontier).Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

El tuco-tuco colonial (Ctenomys sociabilis): una especie endémica del Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi

Este artículo resume la información existente sobre el tuco-tuco colonial (Ctenomys sociabilis) incluyendo diversos aspectos de su biología y ecología. A pesar de que C. sociabilis ha sido descubierta recientemente, se han realizado diversos estudios, en su mayoría tendientes a comprender su peculiar patrón de comportamiento social. Estos estudios han contribuido significativamente al conocimiento de estos animales. La información aquí compilada puede servir como herramienta para el manejo de esta especie endémica y de valor especial del Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi.This article summarizes existing information about the colonial tuco-tuco (Ctenomys sociabilis), including various aspects of its biology and ecology. Although C. sociabilis is a recently discovered species, there have been several studies, most aimed at understanding its peculiar pattern of social behavior. These studies have contributed significantly to the knowledge of these animals. The information compiled here may be serve as a tool for the management of this endemic species, which is of special value to Nahuel Huapi National Park.Fil: Tammone, Mauro Nicolás. Sociedad Naturalista Andino Patagonica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Lacey, Eileen Anne. University of California. Department of Integrative Biology. Museum of Vertebrate Zoology; Estados Unido

Taxonomy of Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina: The occurrence of the "mendocinus" lineage

Subterranean rodents Ctenomys are iconic representatives of the mammalian fauna from southern South America. Based on molecular data, eight lineages have been identified within the genus, although species-level identifications and relationships are still debated. Until now, the "magellanicus"clade has been the only lineage mentioned from arid, extra-Andean portions of Patagonia. Here, we report the presence of a Ctenomys population from northern Patagonia that is unambiguously associated with the Central Argentinean "mendocinus"lineage. Most of the 160,000 km2 comprising the northern portion of Patagonia-an area consisting primarily of Monte Desert shrub-land-are inhabited by Ctenomys populations of unknown taxonomy.Fil: Tammone, Mauro Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Administración de Parques Nacionales. Parque Nacional "Nahuel Huapi"; ArgentinaFil: Pardiñas, Ulises Francisco J.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral; Argentin

Habitat use by colonial tuco-tucos (Ctenomys sociabilis): Specialization, variation, and sociality

Understanding habitat requirements has implications for numerous aspects of a species' biology, including where individuals live and how they behave. Specialization for mesic, resource-rich habitats known as mallines is thought to have favored group living in the colonial tuco-tuco (Ctenomys sociabilis), a subterranean rodent that is endemic to Neuquén Province in southwestern Argentina. To explore the proposed relationship between mallines and sociality in this species in greater detail, we characterized the habitats occupied by C. sociabilis at 3 locations representing the extremes of this species' geographic range. Specifically, plant composition and vegetative structure were characterized for 57 occupied burrow systems distributed across the 3 sampling localities. Our data indicate that C. sociabilis is not restricted to mallines. Although significant variation in vegetation was detected among the 3 study sites, the majority of active burrow systems surveyed at each site occurred in nonmallín habitats. In addition to providing the first species-wide survey of habitat use by C. sociabilis, our data yield new insights into the role of habitat specialization in promoting sociality in this behaviorally unusual species of ctenomyid rodent.Fil: Tammone, Mauro Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Lacey, Eileen Anne. University of California at Berkeley; Estados UnidosFil: Relva, Maria Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentin

Identifying drivers of historical genetic decline in an endemic Patagonian rodent, the colonial tuco-tuco, Ctenomys sociabilis (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae)

Understanding the causes of pronounced losses of genetic diversity in natural populations may provide important insights into the evolutionary significance of these events. However, such analyses are typically based on post-reduction levels and patterns of variability in modern populations, which often lead to results that are biased towards more recent demographic events. In this context, population data recovered from the fossil record provide a powerful resource for studying historical processes of genetic decline. Using radiocarbon dating, stratigraphic analyses and DNA sequencing, we compared genetic variation and relative abundances of fossil specimens from the mid-Holocene to today to evaluate potential explanations for the marked historical loss of genetic diversity in the colonial tuco-tuco (Ctenomys sociabilis), a subterranean rodent that is endemic to Patagonia. We conclude that a general pattern of climatic change during the mid-Holocene, particularly changes in precipitation, led to changes in abundance of suitable habitats for this species. Loss of suitable habitat combined with the unusual demographic structure of this species may have facilitated the decline of populations of C. sociabilis by decreasing gene flow and increasing the potential for fixation of haplotypes due to genetic drift. Our analyses of temporal changes in abundance and genetic diversity in ctenomyids have implications for understanding more widespread patterns of Holocene change in the mammalian fauna of Patagonia.Fil: Tammone, Mauro Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral; ArgentinaFil: Pardiñas, Ulises Francisco J.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral; ArgentinaFil: Lacey, Eileen Anne. University of California at Berkeley; Estados Unido

Contrasting patterns of Holocene genetic variation in two parapatric species of Ctenomys from Northern Patagonia, Argentina

Analyses of DNA from fossil specimens can generate critical insights into the demographic histories of natural populations. Previous analyses of fossil specimens from a single cave site in the Limay Valley in Patagonia have revealed striking historical differences in genetic variability between two species of Ctenomys, the colonial tuco-tuco (C. sociabilis) and the Patagonian tuco-tuco (C. haigi). As a first step towards identifying environmental or other factors contributing to this outcome, we assessed whether these differences in variability are generally characteristic of these species. We sequenced a 136-bp fragment of the cytochrome b locus for fossil specimens of Ctenomys excavated from two additional cave sites in the Limay Valley. Analyses of this expanded data set revealed that while C. sociabilis has undergone a pronounced loss of genetic diversity at all three cave sites over the past ~12 000 years, genetic diversity in C. haigi has remained relatively constant over the same temporal and geographic scales. The generality of these patterns suggests that although the factors affecting genetic diversity in C. sociabilis were widespread in the Limay Valley, impacts on the study species differed, probably due to known behavioural, ecological and demographic differences between these taxa.Fil: Tammone, Mauro Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral; Argentina. Programa de Estudios Aplicados a la Conservación del Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi; ArgentinaFil: Pardiñas, Ulises Francisco J.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral; ArgentinaFil: Lacey, Eileen Anne. University of California at Berkeley; Estados Unido