Michael Mares - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Michael Mares
Ecological Studies, 2000
Other chapters in this volume have made clear that inselbergs are of enormous interest and import... more Other chapters in this volume have made clear that inselbergs are of enormous interest and importance in themselves as structural components of the environment, as well as through their effects on vegetation from providing substrates on which bacteria, lichens, and mosses develop, to providing special microhabitats that can permit the existence of forests in association with the rock habitat within an otherwise barren landscape.
Journal of Mammalogy, 1990
Academia Letters, 2022
Many years ago, while conducting research in Egypt's Sahara Desert, I visited the great pyramids ... more Many years ago, while conducting research in Egypt's Sahara Desert, I visited the great pyramids at Giza. The pyramids sat inspiring awe and tempting people to climb on them and view the surrounding desert, Cairo, and the Nile. They were more than 2500 years old when Jesus walked the earth. There is a saying in Egypt that "Man fears Time, but Time fears the pyramids." These massive, mysterious, and remarkable structures, visible even from space, have become a part of humanity's deep history. They elevate all of us, and provide stories of rulers, slaves, and human accomplishments. We are made better just knowing they are there: wonders of the world. It would be extremely difficult to build them today, even with modern technology and computers (Wolchover, 2012; Rigby, 2016). The pyramids are not only tombs for the pharaohs but, in effect, museums of human achievement built five millennia ago to transfer cultural artifacts, language, and human remains through time, testaments to the afterlife and the gods of the desert people. ISIS-The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and its related organizations (Wilson Center, 2019), is a movement of religious fanatics ideologically anchored in the 7th century and bent on the destruction of Western society. ISIS has vowed to erase the pyramids from the earth, even releasing a video showing plans to blow them up, as they did the ancient city of Nimrud near Mosul, Iraq (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1297453/ISIS-blowsancient-temple-vows-destroy-Egypt-s-pyramids.html). Indeed, in rampages across Middle Eastern and Asian countries, ISIS, the Taliban, and al Qaeda (all religious fundamentalist fanatics) have made special efforts to ravage remarkable ruins, World Heritage sites, museums, and artwork of ancient civilizations (Bailey, 2021). Damnatio memoriae, as the Romans called it (Tronchin, 2020), is more than a rewriting of history, it is an erasing of history. To
Academia Letters, 2022
Many years ago, while conducting research in Egypt's Sahara Desert, I visited the great pyramids ... more Many years ago, while conducting research in Egypt's Sahara Desert, I visited the great pyramids at Giza. The pyramids sat inspiring awe and tempting people to climb on them and view the surrounding desert, Cairo, and the Nile. They were more than 2500 years old when Jesus walked the earth. There is a saying in Egypt that "Man fears Time, but Time fears the pyramids." These massive, mysterious, and remarkable structures, visible even from space, have become a part of humanity's deep history. They elevate all of us, and provide stories of rulers, slaves, and human accomplishments. We are made better just knowing they are there: wonders of the world. It would be extremely difficult to build them today, even with modern technology and computers (Wolchover, 2012; Rigby, 2016). The pyramids are not only tombs for the pharaohs but, in effect, museums of human achievement built five millennia ago to transfer cultural artifacts, language, and human remains through time, testaments to the afterlife and the gods of the desert people. ISIS-The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and its related organizations (Wilson Center, 2019), is a movement of religious fanatics ideologically anchored in the 7th century and bent on the destruction of Western society. ISIS has vowed to erase the pyramids from the earth, even releasing a video showing plans to blow them up, as they did the ancient city of Nimrud near Mosul, Iraq (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1297453/ISIS-blowsancient-temple-vows-destroy-Egypt-s-pyramids.html). Indeed, in rampages across Middle Eastern and Asian countries, ISIS, the Taliban, and al Qaeda (all religious fundamentalist fanatics) have made special efforts to ravage remarkable ruins, World Heritage sites, museums, and artwork of ancient civilizations (Bailey, 2021). Damnatio memoriae, as the Romans called it (Tronchin, 2020), is more than a rewriting of history, it is an erasing of history. To
Resumo Em 1983, o Museu da Universidade de Oklahoma, nos Estados Unidos, decidili iniciar urna lo... more Resumo Em 1983, o Museu da Universidade de Oklahoma, nos Estados Unidos, decidili iniciar urna longa luta por urn novo edificio, visto que o centenario Museu se encontrava instalado em antigos estâbulos e celeiros. A Universidade foi irregular e inconstante no seu apoio ao projecto. Contudo, urna estratégia multifacetada e o envolvimento directo da comunidade local conduziram ao sucesso do empreendimento, após 17 difîceis anos em que a paciência e a tenacidade foram déterminantes. Abstract In 1983 the University of Oklahoma's museum began a struggle for a new building. The century-old museum was housed in barns and stables. Support from the University was mixed. Grassroots efforts and a multifaceted strategy led to a successful result in 2000, after 17 difficult years requiring patience and tenacity. An interesting place If one were to select a patch of earth randomly and view its history back through time, few places on the planet would have a story as interesting as the piece ...
Therya
The taxonomic history of bats of the tribe Lasiurini (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) has undergone... more The taxonomic history of bats of the tribe Lasiurini (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) has undergone significant changes over time. Authors at different times have recognized various numbers of genera and subgenera within the tribe. The most recent proposed change to generic level taxonomy (that there should be three genera recognized instead of a single genus) has been debated in the literature. We reviewed papers that commented on the recent changes to lasiurine generic taxonomy, as well as those that have adopted the new taxonomy and the ones that have not. We also reviewed the relevant taxonomic literature from 1942 to the present that shows the fluid taxonomic history of these bats. The literature review shows that the recently proposed taxonomic change recognizing the three groups of lasiurine bats as distinct genera is the only taxonomy that differentiates the tribe from the genera. Examination of times to most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) of 24 vespertilionid genera shows Las...
Surveys conducted during three years (2014-2017) provide the most extensive documentation to date... more Surveys conducted during three years (2014-2017) provide the most extensive documentation to date for the possible presence of the Texas kangaroo rat (Dipodomys elator), a Tier II species considered to be of greatest conservation need, in seven counties in southwestern Oklahoma. The project encompassed 15 surveys on 93 nights; 266 localities were surveyed for a total of 9,094 trap nights and more than 32,428 km of paved and unpaved roads were surveyed for potential habitat and activity. No Texas kangaroo rats were captured or observed. However, 2,178 individuals of 17 mammal species were captured and individuals of 12 additional mammal species were collected and/or observed. New locality and natural history information for mammal species was obtained and six county records were recorded based on specimens and/or observations. Project results and historical information suggest that the Texas kangaroo rat (D. elator) is likely extirpated from the state of Oklahoma.
Life among the muses …, 1997
Page 1. Systematics, Distribution, and Ecology of the Mammals of Catamarca Province, Argentina Mi... more Page 1. Systematics, Distribution, and Ecology of the Mammals of Catamarca Province, Argentina Michael A. Mares, Ricardo A. Ojeda, Janet K. Braun, and Ruben M. Barquez Abstract The systematics, distribution, and ecology ...
Granite outcrops appear with regularity in various parts of the world. They may be associated wit... more Granite outcrops appear with regularity in various parts of the world. They may be associated with mountains, or they may appear in areas that today have little other topographic relief than the outcrops themselves. Wherever granitic agglomerations are found, however, their influence on the biota of a region is profound. Rocks influence both microhabitat and macrohabitat for plants and animals. In some cases, the rocky habitats permit a more mesic microhabitat to develop within a generally more xeric region. Such microclimatic influences may permit the establishment of trees and the maintenance of green leaves, even during droughts. For mammals, in addition to the increased availability and predictability of food, the rock habitat itself provides shelter, amelioration of climatic variables and, in some cases, a resource that is defensible by the mammals. However, the rock habitat is one that also demands special adaptations by mammals that specialize toward a rupicolous existence. S...
When I was asked to comment on the 25th anniversary of the Sociedad Argentina para el Estudio de ... more When I was asked to comment on the 25th anniversary of the Sociedad Argentina para el Estudio de los Mamíferos, I hesitated before responding to Dr. Ulyses Pardiñas’s kind request. While it is true that I have studied mammals in Argentina for almost 40 years and have continued to work there throughout the 25 years that SAREM has been in existence, I am not an Argentine. How do Argentine’s feel about the success of their mammal society? On the other hand, few Argentine mammalogists working today were also studying the country’s mammals in 1970, more than a decade before SAREM was born. One of the few benefits of growing older is that one is able to place things within an historical context. Thus, I have been able to watch SAREM move from its infancy into a growing maturity and, as President-elect of the American Society of Mammalogists, I can offer an international view of the society’s development.
Journal of Arid …, 1999
Octodontid rodents have a long evolutionary history in arid landscapes of South America. The red ... more Octodontid rodents have a long evolutionary history in arid landscapes of South America. The red vizcacha rat, Tympanoctomys barrerae, is a monotypic, micro-endemic species that inhabits salt pan-sand dune habitats in west-central Argentina. Its natural history is almost unknown. We present an analysis of the ecology, morphology, behavior, and physiology of the red vizcacha rat and assess the overall degree of convergence of this species with rodents that inhabit similar habitats in different deserts. Our results show that Tympanoctomys barrerae is highly adapted to salt flat basin habitats. Its diet of halophytic vegetation with a high salt content, and physiological and anatomical traits related to salt consumption, are similar to those found in some members of the families Heteromyidae (Dipodomys microps) of North America, and Muridae (Psammomys obesus and Rhombomys opimus) of Africa and Asia. Similarities include feeding behavior, diet composition, kidney morphology, and urine concentration, among other traits. Tympanoctomys barrerae is more similar to these desert rodents than it is to confamilials that do not feed on halophytes.
Historically the museums of natural history have been considered as institutions that care for co... more Historically the museums of natural history have been considered as institutions that care for collections of specimens with scientific and cultural importance. However, the continuing acceleration in the digitization of information, combined with the increasing capacity of digital information storage, is redefining the traditional role of museums. Museums might be seen as huge sources of information about the occurrence of organisms over time and across the planet. In this sense, the Natural History Museum of Barcelona is making a real effort to offer this data to the scientific community. It holds about 1.5 million arthropod specimens, from which 3,650 are Type specimens, mainly from Coleopteran families and cave-dwelling fauna. To supply this amount of data requires documenting all specimens, and to develop and keep up the appropriate tools of managing, storing and promotion of this data. Although the amount of data available in such Biodiversity Portals like GBIF is still reduce...
Revista brasileira de biologia, 1989
The taxonomic status of Caatinga mammals, considered by Mares et al. (1981), is updated herein an... more The taxonomic status of Caatinga mammals, considered by Mares et al. (1981), is updated herein and a checklist of extant mammals is included. A brief survey of recent contributions to the scientific literature on Caatinga mammals is also provided.
Journal of Mammalogy, 1981
… : History, Biodiversity, and Conservation, …, 1991
Three new species of Brucepattersonius are described based on cranial, dental, external, and chro... more Three new species of Brucepattersonius are described based on cranial, dental, external, and chromosomal morphology, and morphometric data. These new species of Brucepattersonius each are known only to inhabit isolated subtropical moist forest areas in Misiones Province, Argentina. The three new species are herein compared with other described species of Brucepattersonius that are known only from southeastern Brazil.
Ecological Studies, 2000
Other chapters in this volume have made clear that inselbergs are of enormous interest and import... more Other chapters in this volume have made clear that inselbergs are of enormous interest and importance in themselves as structural components of the environment, as well as through their effects on vegetation from providing substrates on which bacteria, lichens, and mosses develop, to providing special microhabitats that can permit the existence of forests in association with the rock habitat within an otherwise barren landscape.
Journal of Mammalogy, 1990
Academia Letters, 2022
Many years ago, while conducting research in Egypt's Sahara Desert, I visited the great pyramids ... more Many years ago, while conducting research in Egypt's Sahara Desert, I visited the great pyramids at Giza. The pyramids sat inspiring awe and tempting people to climb on them and view the surrounding desert, Cairo, and the Nile. They were more than 2500 years old when Jesus walked the earth. There is a saying in Egypt that "Man fears Time, but Time fears the pyramids." These massive, mysterious, and remarkable structures, visible even from space, have become a part of humanity's deep history. They elevate all of us, and provide stories of rulers, slaves, and human accomplishments. We are made better just knowing they are there: wonders of the world. It would be extremely difficult to build them today, even with modern technology and computers (Wolchover, 2012; Rigby, 2016). The pyramids are not only tombs for the pharaohs but, in effect, museums of human achievement built five millennia ago to transfer cultural artifacts, language, and human remains through time, testaments to the afterlife and the gods of the desert people. ISIS-The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and its related organizations (Wilson Center, 2019), is a movement of religious fanatics ideologically anchored in the 7th century and bent on the destruction of Western society. ISIS has vowed to erase the pyramids from the earth, even releasing a video showing plans to blow them up, as they did the ancient city of Nimrud near Mosul, Iraq (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1297453/ISIS-blowsancient-temple-vows-destroy-Egypt-s-pyramids.html). Indeed, in rampages across Middle Eastern and Asian countries, ISIS, the Taliban, and al Qaeda (all religious fundamentalist fanatics) have made special efforts to ravage remarkable ruins, World Heritage sites, museums, and artwork of ancient civilizations (Bailey, 2021). Damnatio memoriae, as the Romans called it (Tronchin, 2020), is more than a rewriting of history, it is an erasing of history. To
Academia Letters, 2022
Many years ago, while conducting research in Egypt's Sahara Desert, I visited the great pyramids ... more Many years ago, while conducting research in Egypt's Sahara Desert, I visited the great pyramids at Giza. The pyramids sat inspiring awe and tempting people to climb on them and view the surrounding desert, Cairo, and the Nile. They were more than 2500 years old when Jesus walked the earth. There is a saying in Egypt that "Man fears Time, but Time fears the pyramids." These massive, mysterious, and remarkable structures, visible even from space, have become a part of humanity's deep history. They elevate all of us, and provide stories of rulers, slaves, and human accomplishments. We are made better just knowing they are there: wonders of the world. It would be extremely difficult to build them today, even with modern technology and computers (Wolchover, 2012; Rigby, 2016). The pyramids are not only tombs for the pharaohs but, in effect, museums of human achievement built five millennia ago to transfer cultural artifacts, language, and human remains through time, testaments to the afterlife and the gods of the desert people. ISIS-The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and its related organizations (Wilson Center, 2019), is a movement of religious fanatics ideologically anchored in the 7th century and bent on the destruction of Western society. ISIS has vowed to erase the pyramids from the earth, even releasing a video showing plans to blow them up, as they did the ancient city of Nimrud near Mosul, Iraq (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1297453/ISIS-blowsancient-temple-vows-destroy-Egypt-s-pyramids.html). Indeed, in rampages across Middle Eastern and Asian countries, ISIS, the Taliban, and al Qaeda (all religious fundamentalist fanatics) have made special efforts to ravage remarkable ruins, World Heritage sites, museums, and artwork of ancient civilizations (Bailey, 2021). Damnatio memoriae, as the Romans called it (Tronchin, 2020), is more than a rewriting of history, it is an erasing of history. To
Resumo Em 1983, o Museu da Universidade de Oklahoma, nos Estados Unidos, decidili iniciar urna lo... more Resumo Em 1983, o Museu da Universidade de Oklahoma, nos Estados Unidos, decidili iniciar urna longa luta por urn novo edificio, visto que o centenario Museu se encontrava instalado em antigos estâbulos e celeiros. A Universidade foi irregular e inconstante no seu apoio ao projecto. Contudo, urna estratégia multifacetada e o envolvimento directo da comunidade local conduziram ao sucesso do empreendimento, após 17 difîceis anos em que a paciência e a tenacidade foram déterminantes. Abstract In 1983 the University of Oklahoma's museum began a struggle for a new building. The century-old museum was housed in barns and stables. Support from the University was mixed. Grassroots efforts and a multifaceted strategy led to a successful result in 2000, after 17 difficult years requiring patience and tenacity. An interesting place If one were to select a patch of earth randomly and view its history back through time, few places on the planet would have a story as interesting as the piece ...
Therya
The taxonomic history of bats of the tribe Lasiurini (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) has undergone... more The taxonomic history of bats of the tribe Lasiurini (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) has undergone significant changes over time. Authors at different times have recognized various numbers of genera and subgenera within the tribe. The most recent proposed change to generic level taxonomy (that there should be three genera recognized instead of a single genus) has been debated in the literature. We reviewed papers that commented on the recent changes to lasiurine generic taxonomy, as well as those that have adopted the new taxonomy and the ones that have not. We also reviewed the relevant taxonomic literature from 1942 to the present that shows the fluid taxonomic history of these bats. The literature review shows that the recently proposed taxonomic change recognizing the three groups of lasiurine bats as distinct genera is the only taxonomy that differentiates the tribe from the genera. Examination of times to most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) of 24 vespertilionid genera shows Las...
Surveys conducted during three years (2014-2017) provide the most extensive documentation to date... more Surveys conducted during three years (2014-2017) provide the most extensive documentation to date for the possible presence of the Texas kangaroo rat (Dipodomys elator), a Tier II species considered to be of greatest conservation need, in seven counties in southwestern Oklahoma. The project encompassed 15 surveys on 93 nights; 266 localities were surveyed for a total of 9,094 trap nights and more than 32,428 km of paved and unpaved roads were surveyed for potential habitat and activity. No Texas kangaroo rats were captured or observed. However, 2,178 individuals of 17 mammal species were captured and individuals of 12 additional mammal species were collected and/or observed. New locality and natural history information for mammal species was obtained and six county records were recorded based on specimens and/or observations. Project results and historical information suggest that the Texas kangaroo rat (D. elator) is likely extirpated from the state of Oklahoma.
Life among the muses …, 1997
Page 1. Systematics, Distribution, and Ecology of the Mammals of Catamarca Province, Argentina Mi... more Page 1. Systematics, Distribution, and Ecology of the Mammals of Catamarca Province, Argentina Michael A. Mares, Ricardo A. Ojeda, Janet K. Braun, and Ruben M. Barquez Abstract The systematics, distribution, and ecology ...
Granite outcrops appear with regularity in various parts of the world. They may be associated wit... more Granite outcrops appear with regularity in various parts of the world. They may be associated with mountains, or they may appear in areas that today have little other topographic relief than the outcrops themselves. Wherever granitic agglomerations are found, however, their influence on the biota of a region is profound. Rocks influence both microhabitat and macrohabitat for plants and animals. In some cases, the rocky habitats permit a more mesic microhabitat to develop within a generally more xeric region. Such microclimatic influences may permit the establishment of trees and the maintenance of green leaves, even during droughts. For mammals, in addition to the increased availability and predictability of food, the rock habitat itself provides shelter, amelioration of climatic variables and, in some cases, a resource that is defensible by the mammals. However, the rock habitat is one that also demands special adaptations by mammals that specialize toward a rupicolous existence. S...
When I was asked to comment on the 25th anniversary of the Sociedad Argentina para el Estudio de ... more When I was asked to comment on the 25th anniversary of the Sociedad Argentina para el Estudio de los Mamíferos, I hesitated before responding to Dr. Ulyses Pardiñas’s kind request. While it is true that I have studied mammals in Argentina for almost 40 years and have continued to work there throughout the 25 years that SAREM has been in existence, I am not an Argentine. How do Argentine’s feel about the success of their mammal society? On the other hand, few Argentine mammalogists working today were also studying the country’s mammals in 1970, more than a decade before SAREM was born. One of the few benefits of growing older is that one is able to place things within an historical context. Thus, I have been able to watch SAREM move from its infancy into a growing maturity and, as President-elect of the American Society of Mammalogists, I can offer an international view of the society’s development.
Journal of Arid …, 1999
Octodontid rodents have a long evolutionary history in arid landscapes of South America. The red ... more Octodontid rodents have a long evolutionary history in arid landscapes of South America. The red vizcacha rat, Tympanoctomys barrerae, is a monotypic, micro-endemic species that inhabits salt pan-sand dune habitats in west-central Argentina. Its natural history is almost unknown. We present an analysis of the ecology, morphology, behavior, and physiology of the red vizcacha rat and assess the overall degree of convergence of this species with rodents that inhabit similar habitats in different deserts. Our results show that Tympanoctomys barrerae is highly adapted to salt flat basin habitats. Its diet of halophytic vegetation with a high salt content, and physiological and anatomical traits related to salt consumption, are similar to those found in some members of the families Heteromyidae (Dipodomys microps) of North America, and Muridae (Psammomys obesus and Rhombomys opimus) of Africa and Asia. Similarities include feeding behavior, diet composition, kidney morphology, and urine concentration, among other traits. Tympanoctomys barrerae is more similar to these desert rodents than it is to confamilials that do not feed on halophytes.
Historically the museums of natural history have been considered as institutions that care for co... more Historically the museums of natural history have been considered as institutions that care for collections of specimens with scientific and cultural importance. However, the continuing acceleration in the digitization of information, combined with the increasing capacity of digital information storage, is redefining the traditional role of museums. Museums might be seen as huge sources of information about the occurrence of organisms over time and across the planet. In this sense, the Natural History Museum of Barcelona is making a real effort to offer this data to the scientific community. It holds about 1.5 million arthropod specimens, from which 3,650 are Type specimens, mainly from Coleopteran families and cave-dwelling fauna. To supply this amount of data requires documenting all specimens, and to develop and keep up the appropriate tools of managing, storing and promotion of this data. Although the amount of data available in such Biodiversity Portals like GBIF is still reduce...
Revista brasileira de biologia, 1989
The taxonomic status of Caatinga mammals, considered by Mares et al. (1981), is updated herein an... more The taxonomic status of Caatinga mammals, considered by Mares et al. (1981), is updated herein and a checklist of extant mammals is included. A brief survey of recent contributions to the scientific literature on Caatinga mammals is also provided.
Journal of Mammalogy, 1981
… : History, Biodiversity, and Conservation, …, 1991
Three new species of Brucepattersonius are described based on cranial, dental, external, and chro... more Three new species of Brucepattersonius are described based on cranial, dental, external, and chromosomal morphology, and morphometric data. These new species of Brucepattersonius each are known only to inhabit isolated subtropical moist forest areas in Misiones Province, Argentina. The three new species are herein compared with other described species of Brucepattersonius that are known only from southeastern Brazil.