美国内布拉斯加大学Jay F. Storz小组宣布他们研究出世界上最高的哺乳动物安第斯叶耳鼠在极端海拔梯度上的适应能力。相关论文发表在2026年7月9日出版的《科学》杂志上。

安第斯叶耳鼠（Phyllotis vaccarum）生活在所有哺乳动物中海拔最高的地方，它们的海拔范围也最广，从海平面到6700米的山顶。相对于低地种群，高原种群在缺氧条件下进化出了更强的产热能力，这种生理性能的改善与骨骼肌线粒体呼吸能力的增加有关。种群基因组分析确定了真空假单胞菌适应缺氧的机制，并揭示了其环境适应的一个意想不到的维度，因为生物转化途径上的主题选择表明其进化出了代谢植物来源的膳食毒素的能力。世界上海拔最高的哺乳动物已经适应了其活动范围的低海拔和高海拔极限的栖息地，并且许多与海拔相关的选择与以前未被认识到的喂养生态学方面有关。

附：英文原文

Title: Adaptation across an extreme elevational gradient in Andean leaf-eared mice, the world’s highest-dwelling mammal

Author: Schuyler Liphardt, Naim M. Bautista, Marcial Quiroga-Carmona, Nathanael D. Herrera, L. Moritz Blumer, Juan C. Opazo, Federico G. Hoffmann, Ranim Saleem, Derek A. Somo, Francisco Del Basto Llancaqueo, Timothy J. Thurman, Timothy B. Wheeler, Daniel E. Shaw, Hunter K. Walt, Till S. Harter, Grant B. McClelland, Graham R. Scott, Pablo Sabat, Zachary A. Cheviron, Guillermo D’Elía, Jeffrey M. Good, Jay F. Storz

Issue&Volume: 2026-07-09

Abstract: Andean leaf-eared mice (Phyllotis vaccarum) live at the highest elevations of any mammal, and they also have the broadest elevational range, from sea level to mountain summits of >6700 meters. Highland populations have evolved an enhanced thermogenic capacity in hypoxia relative to lowland conspecifics, and this improved physiological performance is associated with an increased mitochondrial respiratory capacity in skeletal muscle. Population genomic analyses identified mechanisms of hypoxia adaptation and revealed an unanticipated dimension of environmental adaptation in P. vaccarum because selection on biotransformation pathways suggests an evolved capacity to metabolize plant-derived dietary toxins. The world’s highest-dwelling mammal has adapted to habitats at both the low- and high-elevation limits of its range, and much of the elevation-related selection relates to previously unappreciated aspects of feeding ecology.

DOI: aec8347

Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec8347

期刊信息

Science：《科学》，创刊于1880年。隶属于美国科学促进会，最新IF：63.714

官方网址：https://www.sciencemag.org/

投稿链接：https://cts.sciencemag.org/scc/#/login