交配行为对雄性棕色田鼠雌激素及雌激素β受体在相关脑区的影响

应用行为观察、放射免疫分析和免疫组织化学相结合的方法,研究了雄性棕色田鼠在交配后血清中的雌二醇(E)、与交配行为有关的脑区E免疫阳性细胞数目(E-IRs)、雌激素β受体(ERβ)免疫阳性细胞数目(ERβ-IRs)的变化.将睾丸下降的成年雄性棕色出鼠分成3组:(1)对照组:嗅闻24h新鲜锯木.(2)暴露组:嗅闻24h动情期雌鼠底物.(3)交配组:与动情期雌鼠交配24h.放射免疫榆测血清中的E浓度,交配组比暴露组、对照组显著增高,暴露组和对照组无显著差异.通过免疫组化检测与性行为有关的脑区:弓状核(ARC)、终纹床核(BST)、隔外侧核(LS)、杏仁内侧核(ME)、内侧视前区(MPO)、下丘脑腹内侧核(VMH)E-IRs和ERβ-IRs,E-IRs在交配组比对照组和暴露组各区域都显著增多,暴露组比对照组在隔外侧核显著增多外,其他区域无显著差异.     

Home range size and overlap in female root voles: effects of season and density

In small mammals living in highly seasonal environments, observationalstudies show that female home range size and exclusiveness aresmaller in the nonbreeding winter season than in the breedingsummer season. This has led to the notion that nonbreeding femalesare more social and decrease territorial behavior during winter.However, because territoriality decreases with increasing populationdensity, and density normally increases during the breedingseason, the effects of density and season on social structureare usually confounded. To find out which of the 2 factors explainsspace use, we experimentally established 3 high-density and3 low-density root vole (Microtus oeconomus) populations inlate spring and monitored the populations into the nonbreedingwinter season. Population sizes were controlled throughout thebreeding period to minimize seasonal variation in density. Homerange sizes were larger in founder females than in field-bornfemales but did not change with season or density. Area exclusivelyused by individual females was lower in winter than summer,and founder females decreased exclusiveness as density increased.We argue that this seasonal pattern of space use might be causedby variation in benefits of group living, whereas founder femalesalso responded to density-dependent competition by reducingarea exclusively used.     

Cryptic speciation in the field vole: a multilocus approach confirms three highly divergent lineages in Eurasia

Species are generally described from morphological features, but there is growing recognition of sister forms that show substantial genetic differentiation without obvious morphological variation and may therefore be considered ‘cryptic species’. Here, we investigate the field vole (Microtus agrestis), a Eurasian mammal with little apparent morphological differentiation but which, on the basis of previous sex‐linked nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analyses, is subdivided into a Northern and a Southern lineage, sufficiently divergent that they may represent two cryptic species. These earlier studies also provided limited evidence for two major mtDNA lineages within Iberia. In our present study, we extend these findings through a multilocus approach. We sampled 163 individuals from 46 localities, mainly in Iberia, and sequenced seven loci, maternally, paternally and biparentally inherited. Our results show that the mtDNA lineage identified in Portugal is indeed a distinct third lineage on the basis of other markers as well. In fact, multilocus coalescent‐based methods clearly support three separate evolutionary units that may represent cryptic species: Northern, Southern and Portuguese. Divergence among these units was inferred to have occurred during the last glacial period; the Portuguese lineage split occurred first (estimated at c. 70 000 bp ), and the Northern and Southern lineages separated at around the last glacial maximum (estimated at c. 18 500 bp ). Such recent formation of evolutionary units that might be considered species has repercussions in terms of understanding evolutionary processes and the diversity of small mammals in a European context.     

Population growth and habitat distribution in cyclic small rodents: to expand or to change?

Habitat selection determined by intraspecific interactions (social behaviour), being either free or despotic, should result in the largest densities in the most favourable habitat at least in late increase and decline phases of cyclic populations. Habitat distribution determined by interspecific effects such as herbivore-plant or predator-prey interactions may result in higher densities in inferior habitats at late peaks and/or declines due to overgrazing of preferred habitats, or invasion of such habitats by specialist predators. An examination of the distributions of the rodent species Clethrionomys glareolus and Microtus agrestis during a population cycle on forest clearcuts at Grimsö, south-central Sweden, demonstrated clear changes towards less preferred habitats during the decline phase, particularly in M. agrestis. Intraspecific competition could be excluded as a cause since the numbers of both species declined simultaneously. There was no sign of overgrazing, while weasels, Mustela nivalis, invaded the preferred M. agrestis habitat during peak–decline. Predation thus appears more important for the local occurrence at early decline, rather than territoriality or other social behaviour. It is concluded that distributions in various habitats do not always reveal any primary habitat selection but, rather, habitat-dependent survival.     

东方田鼠在生物医学研究中的应用及展望

东方田鼠在分类、分布、形态、生态、实验室饲养、部分生物学特征、遗传学、微生物学和寄生虫学等方面的研究取得了一系列进展。近年来,东方田鼠开发为日本血吸虫病、糖尿病和自发性卵巢癌实验动物模型新品系。应用这些模型可对日本血吸虫病、糖尿病和自发性卵巢癌的病理学改变、发病机制、药物治疗和疫苗开发等多方面进行研究。本文就东方田鼠在生物医学研究中的应用研究现状作一综述。     

棕色田鼠雄性幼体不同发育期犁鼻器和副嗅球的组织结构

通过对出生后不同发育时期雄性棕色田鼠犁鼻器和副嗅球进行组织学观察,探讨棕色田鼠出生后犁鼻器和副嗅球的发育规律。实验以出生后当天(0日龄),5日龄,15日龄,25日龄以及成年棕色田鼠为研究对象,副嗅球采用Pischinger氏染色法染色,犁鼻器用H．E．染色法染色后进行组织学观察。结果显示,棕色田鼠出生时,犁鼻器和副嗅球就已具有成体的基本结构,随着动物个体的发育,犁鼻上皮逐渐增厚,犁鼻管变长,犁鼻上皮中神经元密度增加;腺体逐渐增大,犁鼻管腔填充物增多,犁鼻管背外侧的静脉血管逐日增大,管腔周围出现越来越多的血管;副嗅球长宽都增加,僧帽细胞层和颗粒细胞层逐渐增长,各层细胞密度变化稍有不同;出生后15日内,僧帽细胞层细胞密度增加,15日龄以后又开始降低,25日龄及成体的僧帽细胞层细胞密度与5日龄的相似;颗粒细胞层细胞密度持续增高。实验结果提示,棕色田鼠5日龄时,犁鼻器和副嗅球已具有了完整的结构,到25日龄时可能达到了功能上的成熟。     

成年布氏田鼠对个体气味信号的识别与记忆

将配对饲养的成年雌雄布氏田鼠分离,通过分开单独饲养12h,1d、2d、3d、5d和7d后雌、雄鼠对原配偶异性和陌生异性气味信号的选择实验,探讨布氏田鼠对气味信号的识别和记忆。实验表明：在分离12h和1d后,雄鼠对陌生雌性气味的选择和探究行为显多于对熟悉雌鼠气味,而雌鼠对两种气味并未表现显的探究差异;布氏田鼠对气味信号的记忆维持的强度和时间随个体不同而产生差异,雄鼠在分离后12h、1d、2d中对陌生雌鼠气味均表现出差异明显的探究行为,而后,各项探究行为的差异均不明显。雌鼠探究行为变化比较缓慢。据此推测雄鼠对气味的记忆维持在2d左右。     

根田鼠栖息地选择的影响因素

2002年7～9月在中国科学院海北高寒草甸生态系统定位站地区对根田鼠的栖息地选择进行了研究。对根田鼠栖息地利用强度变量(一定面积内的跑道长度、跑道分叉数、洞口数)与12个栖息地特征变量进行多元线性逐步回归分析表明：显影响跑道长度的变量为灌丛高度、竞争性啮齿类、电线杆、早熟禾、围栏、灌丛间距和双子叶植物生物量;显影响跑道分又数的变量为灌丛高度、竞争性啮齿类、电线杆、早熟禾和围栏;显影响洞口数的变量为灌丛高度、土壤含水率和围栏。对影响利用强度变量的因素进行综合生态学分析表明,在小生境尺度上,研究期间影响根田鼠栖息地选择的因素主要为捕食风险和种间竞争,食物资源和土壤硬度也有一定程度的影响。     

东方田鼠种群扩散及活动对外部因子的反应格局

在野外围栏条件下,采用2×2×2析因实验,测定外部因子食物、捕食,以及同域分布物种黑线姬鼠的种间竞争对东方田鼠扩散和活动距离的独立作用及其交互作用的效应。研究结果表明,在所有的扩散个体中,幼体扩散的比例为71.0%。雄体扩散的比例为80.5%。东方田鼠扩散的趋势与其种群密度及补充量的变动一致。食物对扩散具有显著独立作用;捕食对扩散的作用接近显著;种间竞争对扩散的直接效应不显著;食物、捕食与种间竞争交互作用对扩散的效应亦不显著。在诱捕期内雄性的长距离活动比例及其诱捕期间长距离活动比例均显著大于诱捕期内雌性及其诱捕期间的长距离活动比例。不同处理种群间,仅雄体在诱捕期间的长距离活动比例具有显著差异;食物对雄体的长距离活动具有直接和间接(通过密度)的效应;而预防捕食者和竞争物种对不同处理种群雄体的长距离活动则无一致的效应。