Studying the phenotypic variation of organisms along environmental gradients can provide insight into the influences of specific environmental factors. Mongolia, which is distributed across three different biomes, is an ideal location for studying the mechanisms that underlie such phenotypic variation over a large range of climate. The present study examined the variation in shape and size of the body in a ball-rolling dung beetle, Gymnopleurus mopsus (Pallas), in Mongolia and investigated the effects of climate on the species’ morphology. A total of 290 individuals were collected from seven sites and were analysed using multivariate and regression approaches, as well as geometric morphometrics. Body shape and size varied across the study sites and between the different biomes. Populations from the desert-steppe region had thinner bodies and longer heads than those from the steppe region, possibly to facilitate burrowing. Variation in the species’ body size followed a pattern that was the converse of Bergmann’s rule and, thus, might increase heat capacity and enhance thermoregulation ability in the desert-steppe region. Accordingly, the results of the present study provide novel insight into the influence of climate on the variation of dung beetle phenotypes.

中文翻译：

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蒙古两个不同生物群落的甲种群的形态计量学分析

研究生物沿着环境梯度的表型变化可以提供对特定环境因素影响的洞察力。蒙古分布在三个不同的生物群落中，是研究在较大的气候范围内造成这种表型变异的机制的理想场所。本研究研究了滚圆的粪便甲虫（Gymnopleurus mopsus）的身体形状和大小的变化。（帕拉斯）在蒙古，并研究了气候对物种形态的影响。从七个地点收集了总共290个人，并使用多元和回归方法以及几何形态计量学对其进行了分析。整个研究地点以及不同生物群落之间的身体形状和大小各不相同。沙漠草原地区的居民比草原地区的居民具有更瘦的身体和更长的头部，这可能有助于挖洞。物种体型的变化遵循与伯格曼法则相反的模式，因此可能增加沙漠草原地区的热容并增强温度调节能力。因此，本研究的结果提供了新的见解，对气候对虫表型变化的影响。