In a new paper published in the Journal of Biogeography, scientists hypothesize that the rats on the western slopes are larger because there is more precipitation on this side of the mountain range, which means there is more food for the rats.
“There are many rules of ecogeography that scientists use to explain trends we see over and over in nature,” says Noé de la Sancha, a field researcher at the Chicago Field Museum. “I think we may have found something new in this study: The rain shadow effect can cause size and shape changes in mammals.”
There are many “laws” in nature that explain the patterns we observe in life. For example, Bergman’s rule explains why animals of the same species are larger at higher latitudes.
Source: Ferra
