Abstract Biologists have long pondered the extreme limits of life on Earth, including the maximum elevation at which species can live and reproduce. Here we review evidence of a self-sustaining population of mice at an elevation that exceeds that of all previously reported for mammals. Five expeditions over 10 years to Volcán Llullaillaco on the Argentina/Chile border observed and collected mice at elevations ranging from 5,070 m at the mountain’s base to the summit at 6,739 m (22,110 feet). Previously unreported evidence includes observations and photographs of live animals and mummified remains, environmental DNA, and a soil microbial community reflecting animal activity that are evaluated in combination with previously reported video recordings and capture of live mice. All of the evidence identifies the mouse as the leaf-eared mouse Phyllotis vaccarum, and it robustly places the population within a haplotype group containing individuals from the Chilean Atacama Desert and nearby regions of Argentina. A critical review of the literature affirms that this population is not only an elevational record for mammals but for all terrestrial vertebrates to date, and we further find that many extreme elevations previously reported for mammals are based on scant or dubious evidence.

中文翻译：

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安第斯山脉 6,000 米以上叶耳鼠种群的证据和高海拔哺乳动物的调查

摘要 生物学家长期以来一直在思考地球上生命的极限，包括物种可以生存和繁殖的最高海拔。在这里，我们审查了一个自我维持的小鼠种群的证据，该种群的海拔高度超过了先前报告的所有哺乳动物的海拔高度。10 年来，在阿根廷/智利边境的 Volcán Llullaillaco 进行了五次探险，在海拔从山脚 5,070 米到山顶 6,739 米（22,110 英尺）的海拔范围内观察和收集老鼠。以前未报告的证据包括对活体动物和木乃伊化遗骸的观察和照片、环境 DNA 以及反映动物活动的土壤微生物群落，这些证据与以前报告的视频记录和捕获的活老鼠相结合进行了评估。所有证据都将这只老鼠确定为叶耳鼠 Phyllotis vaccarum，并且它有力地将种群置于一个单倍型群中，该群包含来自智利阿塔卡马沙漠和阿根廷附近地区的个体。对文献的批判性回顾证实，这一种群不仅是哺乳动物的海拔记录，而且是迄今为止所有陆生脊椎动物的海拔记录，我们进一步发现，以前报告的哺乳动物的许多极端海拔都是基于不足或可疑的证据。