What principle relates woodrat body size variation in response to ambient temperature across geological time?
Answer
Bergmann’s rule
Woodrats are presented as primary examples illustrating Bergmann’s rule. This ecological principle predicts that within a given species distributed across varying thermal environments, individuals in colder regions will evolve larger body sizes compared to those in warmer regions. The fossil evidence from paleomiddens in Death Valley confirms this, showing that as the climate warmed during the Holocene, body sizes for *N. cinerea* and *N. lepida* significantly decreased, favoring smaller body mass in warmer conditions likely due to improved heat dissipation or lower energetic demands.
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