COMPARISON OF NICHE-PACKING AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION IN DESERT RODENTS IN ASIA AND NORTH-AMERICA

We compared patterns of species diversity, locomotory morphology, feed ing modes, and spatial organisation for rodent communities in four Asi an deserts (Kyzylkum, Gobi, ?Thar, Negev) and one North American (Chih uahuan) desert. Deserts were similar in gamma and alpha diversity. A p ositive relationship between regional species diversity (and biomass) and mean annual precipitation was found. The Asian deserts showed a gr eater degree of divergence and specialisation between bipedal and quad rupedal forms. The range of feeding modes was similar in deserts on bo th continents, but the Negev was the only Asian desert in which graniv ory was as important as in the Chihuahuan. Temperate Asian desert rode nts were organised into spatial guilds, separated primarily by charact eristics of the soil and perennial vegetation. North American desert r odent species overlapped more extensively in habitat use. The similari ties and differences between these deserts can be explained by their b iogeographic histories.