The rodent communities in the Hengduan Mountains (HMs)
Rodents (Rodentia) are characterized as the mammal lineage with high
reproductive capacity, rapid and strong environmental adaptive ability
(Schenk et al. 2013; Kozak & Wiens 2010; Jansa et al.2009). As the most diverse lineage in Mammalia, rodents have undergone
an extraordinary adaptive radiation throughout the Cenozoic and have
spread into almost all natural and artificial terrestrial ecosystems
(Fabre et al. 2012). These ecological characteristics have
entitled rodents a key role in local and global biomass cycling
(Quintero & Wiens 2013; Schenk et al. 2013; Kozak & Wiens 2010;
Jansa et al. 2009).
Under the extent of modified conceptual framework, we took rodents in
the HMs, China, as our study model to present a case study and try to
answer two questions. Firstly, we attempted to (1) reveal the process
driving the elevational patterns of phylogenetic and morphological
structure and their dependence on climatic variables. Secondly, we aimed
to (2) identify the importance of trait conservatism, trait role and
habitat heterogeneity in driving phylogenetic and trait-based community
structure.