
Rodrigo FornelURI Campus de Erechim · Biological Science
Rodrigo Fornel
Professor
About
51
Publications
39,136
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Introduction
I am professor of biology and scientific researcher at URI University of Erechim in southern Brazil. I am interested in the investigation of aspects of the morphological evolution of different groups of animals, mainly regarding the mammalian skull. The main tool I use is geometric morphometrics. I work mainly in the areas of ecology, zoology and evolutionary biology.
Additional affiliations
March 2010 - present
Publications
Publications (51)
_Ctenomys_ Blainville 1826 ranks among the top ten most diverse mammal genera in terms of species richness. However, the taxonomic history of _Ctenomys brasiliensis_ Blainville,1826, the corresponding type species, has long been obscured by a dearth of information regarding the collection data of the type material, compounded by an elusive geograph...
Ctenomys Blainville 1826 ranks among the top ten most diverse mammal genera in terms of species richness. However, the taxonomic history of Ctenomys brasiliensis Blainville,1826, the corresponding type species, has long been obscured by a dearth of information regarding the collection data of the type material, compounded by an elusive geographic o...
The relationship between chromosomal and morphological variation in mammals is poorly understood. We analyzed the cranial size and shape variation in Ctenomys lami concerning to the geographic variation in their chromosome numbers. This subterranean rodent occurs in a narrow range of sand-dunes in the Coastal Plain of southern Brazil. This species...
Obesity has several effects on the general body metabolism. However, little is known about the impact of obesity on the growth and shape of mineralized tissues like mandibles and teeth, as well as if it effects are passed down from generation to next. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate, over nine generations using the consanguineous mat...
Wild pigs (Sus scrofa L.) are considered one of the 100 worst invasive species, causing adverse social, economic, and environmental impacts worldwide. Understanding their historical invasion process and following the distribution across the territory can serve as a preoccupant alert for the species’ quick expansion. Our goal was to update the infor...
As coleções científicas têm um papel muito importante em salvaguardar registro da biodiversidade. Neste estudo, utilizamos crânios e mandíbulas de roedores obtidos em três museus e uma Universidade do Brasil. O nosso objetivo foi descrever as diferenças morfológicas entre os dois gêneros de ratos de espinho Proechimys e Trinomys. Para isso, foram f...
Eugenia (Myrtaceae) is one of the most diverse groups in Neotropical flora. This study evaluated leaf size and shape in four species of Eugenia as a model to test geometric morphometrics in species with distinct geographic distribution in Atlantic Forest biome. The species E. hiemalis Cambess, E. pyriformis Cambess, E. subterminalis DC and E. unifl...
The genus Ctenomys is comprised of more than 70 valid living species. It is the largest collection of fossorial mammals that occupy underground habitats, mainly in the grasslands of South America. We investigated different aspects of morphological evolution in the genus Ctenomys, with special attention to the skull. We analyzed 1359 craniums and 83...
Evolutionary constraints and ecological pressures influence species’ morphological diversity. The aim of this study was to explore patterns of morphological variation, to investigate the influence of environmental variables on morphological differentiation, and assess the strength of phylogenetic signal for the cranium and mandible in spiny rats of...
Background
The lesser grison ( Galictis cuja ) is one of the least known carnivores in the Neotropical region. Its wide geographical occurrence and range of habitats could lead to morphological variations along its distribution. So, this study aimed to investigate the variation in skull shape and size of this species, by testing the existence of ec...
The genus Ctenomys comprises approximately 70 recognized living species of subterranean rodents endemic to South America. Phylogenetic studies to date, based on mitochondrial DNA data, place 44 recognized species in eight species groups and provide evidence for a burst of speciation early in the history of the genus. Species from Argentina, Uruguay...
This study aimed to test whether the consumption of different host plants influences the size and shape of mandibles and associated muscles in oligophagic insects throughout ontogeny. Larvae of Heliconius erato Phyllis (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) were reared on four species of passion vines (Passifloraceae) and had the size of their head caspules, m...
El objetivo fue analizar si el consumo de diferentes plantas influenciaba el tamaño/forma de las mandíbulas de larvas de lepidópteros oligófagas y si dicho consumo ocasionaba tasas de crecimiento diferenciadas entre el músculo aductor mandibular y las mandíbulas durante su ontogénesis. Para esto se usaron larvas de Heliconius erato criadas en cuatr...
A major interest of evolutionary biologists is to understand which environmental features are associated with morphological and behavioural characteristics of species. Intraspecific studies addressing this question provide the best evidence for ecology-driven evolution over short time scales. Here, we evaluated whether two adjacent habitats differ...
Changes in the landscape where watersheds are located may affect the stream biota in different ways. In order to explore this idea, we collected freshwater crabs of the genus Aegla Leach, 1820 in subtropical region of southern Brazil. We also measured a number of landscape features and physico-chemical variables in the collection streams and surrou...
Heliconius
are unpalatable butterflies that exhibit remarkable intra- and interspecific variation in wing color pattern, specifically warning coloration. Species that have converged on the same pattern are often clustered in Müllerian mimicry rings. Overall, wing color patterns are nearly identical among co-mimics. However, fine-scale differences e...
We evaluated the leaching of dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (DOC and DIC, respectively) from leaf litter of plant species of the native Atlantic Forest and of Pinus elliottii (Engelm.) and Eucalyptus grandis (Hill ex Maiden) forests. We carried out experiments in which leaves from each forest system (native, E. grandis, and P. elliottii) we...
Patterns of univariate trait variation across metacommunities are widely explored, as are searches for their underlying causes. Surprisingly, patterns of multivariate shape remain unknown, and the search for drivers of functional traits of communities often neglect the biogeographical distribution of phylogenetic clades. Our aim was to investigate...
We tested the association between chromosomal polymorphism and skull shape and size variation in two groups of the subterranean rodent Ctenomys. The hypothesis is based on the premise that chromosomal rearrangements in small populations, as it occurs in Ctenomys, produce reproductive isolation and allow the independent diversification of population...
A major interest of evolutionary biologists is to understand which environmental features are associated with morphological and behavioural characteristics of species. Intraspecific studies addressing this question provide the best evidence for ecology-driven evolution over short time scales. Here, we evaluated whether two adjacent habitats differ...
Evolutionary radiations on continents are less well understood and appreciated than those occurring on islands. The extent of ecological influence on species divergence can be evaluated to determine whether a radiation was ultimately the outcome of divergent natural selection or else arose mainly by non-ecological divergence. Here, we used phylogen...
For rodents that live underground, digging in highly compacted soils requires a higher energy expenditure than digging in poorly compacted soils. We tested how soil hardness affects the bite force as well as the shape and size of the skulls and mandibles of tuco-tucos. Our hypothesis is that species that inhabit harder soils would show a stronger b...
Aim
We describe patterns of skull size and shape variation in an Atlantic forest endemic rodent to test the influence of genetic structure, historical and environmental variables upon intraspecific morphological variability.
Location
South America, Brazil, Atlantic forest.
Methods
We analyse subtle differences in skull morphology of Akodon cursor...
For many vertebrate species, bite force plays an important functional role. Ecological characteristics of a species' niche, such as diet, are often associated with bite force. Previous evidence suggests a biomechanical trade-off between rodents specialized for gnawing, which feed mainly on seeds, and those specialized for chewing, which feed mainly...
The geographic variation in skull size and shape of the swamp rat Scapteromys tumidus was examined in samples from eight geographic clusters in almost of its distribution in southern Brazil and Uruguay. For analysis we used two-dimensional geometric morphometric methods for dorsal, ventral and lateral views of the skull. The geometric descriptors s...
Aim
Our aim in this study was to evaluate the effects of land use in drainage basins of the streams on the taxonomic and functional composition of aquatic invertebrate communities associated in leaf litter.
Methods
We evaluated the colonisation of invertebrates in the incubated plant debris in streams with presence and absence of riparian vegetati...
RESUMO: Devido ao fato das espécies de Micrurus serem bastante se-melhantes entre si, muitas vezes, os indivíduos podem ser determinados erroneamente. O objetivo deste trabalho foi o de verificar a existência de diferenças significativas na forma e tamanho das placas cefálicas dorsais de M. altirostris e M. frontalis, por meio de técnicas de morfom...
Patterns of geographic variation in skull shape and size among populations of Cavia aperea (Rodentia, Caviidae) Thuany Regina MILESI Rodrigo FORNEL RESUMO O principal objetivo deste trabalho foi quantificar e descrever forma e tamanho do crânio de Cavia aperea ao longo de sua distribuição geográfica no sul do Brasil, bem como verificar se a variaçã...
Ontogenetic allometry is the study of how the size or shape of certain structures changes over the course of an animal's development. In this study, using Huxley's formula of allometric growth (1932), we assessed the changes in the rate of growth of the feet size of the sigmodontine rodent Oligoryzomys flavescens during its ontogeny and compared di...
For conservation purposes, it is important to take into account the suitability of a species to particular habitats; this information may predict the long-term survival of a species. In this sense, morphological measures of developmental stress, such as fluctuating asymmetry, can be proxies for an individual's performance in different regions. In t...
For conservation purposes, it is important to take into account the suitability of a species to particular habitats; this information may predict the long-term survival of a species. In this sense, morphological measures of developmental stress, such as fluctuating asymmetry, can be proxies for an individual's performance in different regions. In t...
Aegla platensis is a freshwater crustacean species that forms a nonmonophyletic group, which may indicate that the taxon is composed of cryptic species. Our objective was to test if allopatric populations of A. plat-ensis differ in carapace shape, aiming to clarify the species situation. We used a geometric morphometric approach to analyze the cara...
RESUMO: Neste artigo pretendemos fazer uma breve revisão sobre as prin-cipais coleções científicas de mastozoologia no ocidente e o papel do Museu Regional do Alto Uruguai (MuRAU) no estudo e educação a respeito dos mamíferos. A tradição de Museus de História Natural remete à Europa do século XVIII, e as coleções de mamíferos estão entre os grandes...
RESUMO: Devido ao fato das espécies de Micrurus serem bastante se-melhantes entre si, muitas vezes, os indivíduos podem ser determinados erroneamente. O objetivo deste trabalho foi o de verificar a existência de diferenças significativas na forma e tamanho das placas cefálicas dorsais de M. altirostris e M. frontalis, por meio de técnicas de morfom...
The tribe Heliconiini (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) is a diverse group of butterflies distributed throughout the Neotropics, which has been studied extensively, in particular the genus Heliconius. However, most of the other lineages, such as Dione, which are less diverse and considered basal within the group, have received little attention. Basic info...
The genus Aegla is represented by 69 extant species and occurs in southern South America. To
characterize the morphological variation in the chelae of different species of this genus occurring in
southern Brazil, 79 specimens of A. plana, 95 of A. platensis and 81 of A. singularis were used,
coming from the north and northeast regions of Rio Grande...
O gênero Aegla consiste de um grupo de crustáceos de água doce que ocorre em rios, riachos, lagos e rios de caverna do sul da região Neotropical. Para algumas espécies deste gênero, como Aegla plana, os padrões de variação morfológica são pouco conhecidos. Este trabalho tem por objetivo quantificar a forma dorsal das quelas de A. plana, verificando...
O gênero Ctenomys (tuco-tucos) ocorre na América do Sul, em campos arenosos e semi-arenosos. Possuindo ampla variação cariotípica interespecífica, de 2n = 10 até 2n = 70. Entre as aproximadamente 60 espécies descritas, destaca-se Ctenomys minutus, ocorrente na Planície Costeira do Rio Grande do Sul, a espécie apresenta um grande polimorfismo cariot...
A new species of tuco-tuco, genus Ctenomys, is described from sandy soils on the western slopes of the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil. This species is distinguished from other named members of this South American endemic genus by several characteristics. Diagnostic traits for this proposed species are a diploid number of 50 chromosom...
Freshwater ecosystems are characterized by a high spatial complexity. This heterogeneity affects the distribution of aquatic organisms in riverine landscapes. Morphological variation in natural populations is driven by evolutionary forces. In crustaceans, morphological variations have been observed between different basins, environments, or develop...
The genus Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) comprises more than 60 species of subterranean rodents. Despite the wide distribution of the genus in southern America, the type locality of the type species—Ctenomys brasiliensis Blainville—was long thought to be the State of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil, well outside the presently known distributi...
Freshwater ecosystems are characterized by a high spatial complexity. This heterogeneity affects the distribution of aquatic organisms in riverine landscapes. Morphological variation in natural populations is driven by evolutionary forces. In crustaceans, morphological variations have been observed between different basins, environments, or develop...
1. Introdução 1.1 Um breve histórico O conceito de forma provavelmente teve o seu início técnico com os povos babilônicos e egípcios que chamavam tais técnicas de "medida da terra". O filósofo grego Tales de Mileto (~624-548 a.C.), há cerca de 2.500 anos, traduziu esta expressão "medida da terra" para o grego como geometria (LIMA, 1991; MLODINOW, 2...
We tested the influence of migration and drift (isolation-by-distance model), and differences in micro-habitat on phenotypic traits, and correlated this with chromosomal polymorphism, at the intraspecific level, with geometric descriptors of the cranium and mandible over the entire range of subterranean rodent Ctenomys minutus. This species occurs...
The great and rapid process of chromosomal diversification of the genus Ctenomys has highlighted these rodents as an excellent model for studying evolution. Despite their karyotypic diversity, tuco-tucos have a conservative skull form related to their subterranean habit. In this study, 221 karyotyped specimens were analyzed with geometric morphomet...