History

For the past 30 years, the members of the Ecophysiology laboratory—which became the Ecological Physiology and Behavior Group in 2009—have been studying species of subterranean rodents from the genus Ctenomys (tuco-tucos), particularly Ctenomys talarum. This species is distributed along the coastal dunes of the Buenos Aires Province maritime coast, where it exerts a significant influence on the environment due to its digging activity in the soil and its foraging on the vegetation of the coastal grasslands. The genus Ctenomys includes more than 50 species, all of which are subterranean. These rodents represent a strictly South American species radiation, with the greatest diversity found in Argentina.

Given their particular physical characteristics, subterranean environments are among those that have most influenced the evolution of the organisms that inhabit them. This environment is relatively stable and predictable, but at the same time stressful in several aspects. As a consequence, the species that occupy them have shown a convergence in many morphological and physiological characteristics but have diverged in other aspects as a result of adjustments to local environmental features.

Tuco-tucos are distributed from southern Peru to Tierra del Fuego and from the Andes to southeastern Brazil. These organisms have been subject to similar selection pressures, which is why they share various common characteristics. However, and despite the similarities of the subterranean ecotope, there are several differences in the biotic and abiotic parameters among the different geographic regions and habitats, which, in turn, exert a particular influence on the traits of the different species. Because of this, they represent not only an important example of evolutionary convergence but also of adaptive divergence.

Ctenomys has been the subject of various studies, particularly regarding its phylogenetic relationships and ecology. However, a considerable number of topics concerning various aspects of their physiology, sensory biology, and behavior remain to be addressed. Through field experiments and controlled conditions in captivity, our ongoing projects assess the physiological, ecological, and behavioral responses of tuco-tucos by integrating energetics, behavior, immunology, genetics, endocrinology, and sensory biology. These projects utilize natural ranges of variation in the parameters being evaluated to increase our understanding of the adaptations associated with subterranean life, using C. talarum as a study model.