Allometry of sodium requirements and mineral lick use among herbivorous mammals

Author:

Duvall Ethan S.1ORCID,Griffiths Brian M.2ORCID,Clauss Marcus3ORCID,Abraham Andrew J.45ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University Ithaca NY USA

2. The Earth Commons, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Georgetown University Washington DC USA

3. Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zürich Zürich Switzerland

4. School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ USA

5. Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE) and Centre for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Section of Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University Aarhus C Denmark

Abstract

Sodium (Na) plays a critical role in the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. In Na‐poor regions, plant consumers may experience Na deficiency and adapt by seeking supplementary Na resources. This can markedly impact animal behavior, space‐use, and co‐existence, with concomitant impacts on ecosystems. Many studies have noted that Na‐seeking behaviors, such as soil consumption from mineral licks, are predominately observed for larger‐bodied herbivores. However, the mechanisms that drive interspecific variation in Na deficiency and mineral lick use remain poorly understood. Here, we examine whether allometric scaling of Na requirements can explain variation in mineral lick use by herbivorous and omnivorous mammals. We 1) collated data from published literature to derive an allometric scaling of Na requirements in mammals, 2) compared predicted Na requirements to estimated Na intake of mammal communities in three globally distant sites: the Peruvian Amazon, Kalahari Desert, and Malaysian Borneo and 3) examined the relationship between predicted Na deficiency and mineral lick use utilizing camera‐trap and mammal abundance data at each site. We found that minimum daily Na maintenance requirements in mammals scaled allometrically at a higher factor (BM0.91 (CI: 0.80–1.0)) than that of food and water Na intake (BM0.71–0.79), indicating that larger species may be more susceptible to Na limitation. This aligned with a positive association between mineral lick use and body mass (BM), as well as Na deficiency, by species at all sites, and increased artificial salt and mineral lick consumption by larger‐bodied mammals in the Kalahari. Our results suggest that larger herbivores may be more sensitive to anthropogenic impacts to Na availability, which may alter their functional roles in ecosystems, particularly in Na‐poor regions. Further research is needed to explore the consequences of changing Na availability on animals and ecosystems, as well as advance our understanding of Na physiology in mammals.

Publisher

Wiley

Subject

Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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