Subterranean Rodents: News from Underground

Across the globe, about 250 species of rodents spend most of their lives in safe and stable, but dark, oxygen-poor and carbon dioxide-rich burrows, deprived of most of the sensory cues available aboveground. They have become fully specialized for a unique way of life in which foraging and breeding take place underground. The systematic research into adaptations of subterranean dwellers is only about two decades old, but it has rapidly intensified within the last few years, bringing insight into many aspects of the biology and evolution at different organization levels.

Subterranean Rodents presents achievements from the last years of research on these rodents, divided into five sections: ecophysiology; sensory ecology; life histories, behavioural ecology and demography; environmental and economical impact; molecular ecology and evolution. It is a must for all researchers working in this field and will be of interest to zoologists, physiologists, morphologists, ecologists, and evolutionary biologists.

From the reviews:

“This book is the result of a symposium entitled ‘Light from the underground: Challenges and insights in the third decade of research on subterranean rodents,’ held during the International Mammalogical Congress IX in Sapporo ... . provides a set of important tidbits, factoids, pieces of general information, and current hypotheses relevant to the topic at hand. ... Given the broad nature of topics included, the book is a one-stop shopping place for a plethora of knowledge concerning the biology of subterranean rodents.”­­­ (Robert D. Bradley, Journal of Mammalian Evolution, Vol. 17, March, 2010)