种内及种间干扰对围栏内花鼠分散贮藏行为的影响

2009 年9 月在黑龙江省带岭区东方红林场10 m ×10 m 半天然围栏内模拟花鼠种内(不同性别) 和种间
(大林姬鼠) 干扰竞争对花鼠分散埋藏红松种子行为的影响。实验分四个处理两个批次进行,依次为单只花鼠对
照实验(雄性7 只,雌性9 只)、种内同性干扰竞争、种内异性干扰竞争和种间干扰竞争。结果表明:(1)花鼠
雌性个体的分散埋藏强度明显高于雄性个体;(2)种间干扰竞争引起花鼠对红松分散埋藏比例明显增加,而种
内干扰对花鼠分散埋藏行为的影响不显著;(3) 种内干扰竞争条件下,同性干扰竞争和异性干扰竞争对花鼠分
散埋藏行为均无显著影响;(4)雄性个体在同性干扰下,埋藏强度不变;而在雌性个体干扰竞争下,埋藏强度
增加;(5)雌性个体在雌性和雄性干扰条件下,花鼠分散埋藏行为均无明显变化。     

贮藏点深度、大小及基质含水量对花鼠找寻红松种子的影响

2012年8-10月,在黑龙江省伊春市带岭林业局东方红林场,通过人工围栏控制实验,研究了贮藏点深度、大小及基质含水量对花鼠找寻红松种子的影响。发现：(1) 埋藏深度显著影响花鼠对贮藏点的找寻率,埋藏深度为 1 cm 和 2 cm 的找寻率显著高于 4 cm 和 6 cm。(2) 埋藏点大小对花鼠发现种子也有显著影响,埋藏点越大,花鼠发现贮藏点的比例越高。(3) 高的基质含水量利于花鼠找寻贮藏点。结果表明,围栏条件下食物贮藏点深度、大小及基质含水量的改变能显著影响花鼠对贮藏点的找寻。     

四种昼行性动物取食和贮藏红松种子的行为比较

于2005年10月1~7日,采用全时焦点观察法研究了黑龙江凉水国家级自然保护区19林班原始红松林内松鼠(Sciurus vulgaris)、星鸦(Nucifraga caryocatactes)、花鼠(Eutamias sibiricus)和普通(Sitta europaea)4种昼行性动物取食和贮藏红松种子的行为。结果表明①4种动物的取食和贮藏过程包括找寻、松塔的处理与种子剥食、松塔和种子的搬运、确定贮藏点、掩藏和警戒等6个环节,但它们在6个环节所耗费的时间均存在较大差异;②4种动物的种子消耗量亦存在较大差异(χ2=144.67,df=3,P<0.05),松鼠、星鸦、花鼠和普通每次平均取食红松种子的数量分别为40.0粒、20.9粒、16.7粒和1.3粒。松鼠与星鸦能够在地面和树冠层取食或收获红松松塔及种子,而花鼠与普通则主要在地面取食;③4种动物贮藏种子的能力亦有较大差异(χ2=68.76,df=3,P<0.05Kruskal-Wallis),松鼠、星鸦和普通主要分散贮藏红松种子,松鼠和星鸦的贮藏量最多,而花鼠很少分散贮藏种子,但能将许多红松种子集中贮藏在少数的贮藏点;④取食松籽的种间竞争强烈,在红松林的垂直高度上,松鼠和星鸦具有高度重叠的取食生态位,花鼠和普通因为种群数量大,对地面种子库的消耗量较大。分析结果显示,松鼠与星鸦是红松种子扩散的传播者,普通是种子消耗者兼传播者,而花鼠则近乎是完全的捕食者。     

岩松鼠的食物贮藏行为

食物贮藏是许多动物对不可预见的食物供应变化的一种重要适应.岩松鼠(Sciurotamias davidianus)为中国特有物种,广泛分布于华北地区的山地和丘陵地带.作者在北京市东灵山地区建造半自然围栏(4 m×3 m× 1 m),以核桃(Juglans regia)和山杏(Prunus armeniaca)种子为备选食物,对岩松鼠(12只)的食物贮藏行为进行了研究.数据的统计分析采用SPSS for Windows进行.研究结果表明1)岩松鼠表现出集中和分散两种食物贮藏方式,而分散贮藏是其偏好的贮藏方式;2) 当遇到贮藏食物被盗窃时,岩松鼠倾向于搬运更多的食物进行集中和分散贮藏;3)岩松鼠没有在食盘就地取食任何一种食物;把食物搬离后,岩松鼠所取食的山杏种子数量明显多于所取食的核桃数量;4)岩松鼠只选择核桃进行分散贮藏;5)岩松鼠对核桃的搬运距离大于山杏种子.本研究结果提示,在自然条件下,岩松鼠对核桃和山杏的天然更新起着不同的作用[动物学报 51(3)376-382,2005].     

密度信号对两种臂尾轮虫种群增长的影响

为了更好的了解化学干扰对轮虫种间竞争的影响,分别用萼花臂尾轮虫(Brachionus calyciflorus)和角突臂尾轮虫(Brachionus angularis)研究了同种和异种种群密度信号对种群增长的影响。结果表明,密度信号对轮虫种群增长具有一定的影响。萼花臂尾轮虫的密度信号显著降低了本种和角突臂尾轮虫种群的环境容纳量K并提高了它们的种群增长率r(P0.05),角突臂尾轮虫的密度信号对本种和萼花臂尾轮虫的种群增长都没有显著影响(P0.05)。萼花臂尾轮虫种群增长受同种密度信号抑制十分显著,环境容纳量K降低了50%以上,可能主要受自毒作用的调节,但同种密度信号对高有性生殖的萼花臂尾轮虫种群的混交率影响不明显。角突臂尾轮虫几乎不受自身密度信号的影响。因此,在两种臂尾轮虫的竞争中,由于自身密度信号的抑制作用,萼花臂尾轮虫将更快被角突臂尾轮虫排除。据此可推测密度信号对轮虫的种间竞争具有重要影响。     

基于Morris 水迷宫探讨不同贮食行为鼠类的空间记忆

鼠类的贮食方式(分散或集中)与其空间记忆能力有关,但有关两者的定量关系尚缺少实验证据。朝鲜姬鼠(Apodemus peninsulae)分散或集中贮藏食物;社鼠(Niviventer confucianus)、黑线姬鼠(A. agrarius)、昆明小鼠(Mus musculus)仅集中贮藏食物。利用Morris 水迷宫对4 种鼠的空间记忆能力进行了评估,以探讨其空间记忆能力与食物贮藏方式间的联系。结果发现:在5 d 的定位航行实验中,4 种鼠找到隐藏平台的潜伏期均呈现出显著的下降趋势,其中朝鲜姬鼠潜伏期最短,黑线姬鼠与社鼠次之,昆明小鼠最长。在空间探索实验中,朝鲜姬鼠、黑线姬鼠和社鼠穿越平台的次数显著大于昆明小鼠;实验鼠在目标象限内的时间比和路程比为:朝鲜姬鼠> 黑线姬鼠> 社鼠>昆明小鼠,但差异不显著。结果表明具有分散贮藏行为的朝鲜姬鼠的空间记忆能力较仅具有集中贮藏行为的其它鼠种强,暗示鼠类的食物贮藏方式与其空间记忆能力有一定联系。     

围栏条件下捕食风险对岩松鼠贮藏核桃种子行为的影响

面对捕食风险,贮藏植物种子的啮齿动物如何通过调整其贮藏行为,权衡捕食风险和贮食效益,需要深入研究。2006 年9 月,在北京东灵山地区,以黄鼬作为捕食风险源,在半自然围栏内比较了有无捕食风险源时,岩松鼠贮藏的核桃种子的状态,以及埋藏种子在实验围栏内的分布、微生境和搬运距离,以探讨捕食风险对岩松鼠贮藏种子行为的影响。结果表明,捕食风险源存在时,搬运和埋藏种子的比例都显著减少,弃置地表种子的比例无显著差异;埋藏于高风险区的种子比例减少,中风险区和低风险区的埋藏种子比例增加,但差异都不显著;位于裸地和草下的埋藏种子比例减少,位于墙基的埋藏种子比例增加,但差异都不显著;此外,埋藏种子的搬运距离也没有显著差异。可见,捕食风险源存在时,岩松鼠显著减少了搬运和埋藏种子的比例,但对埋藏种子时的埋藏区域和微生境选择,以及搬运距离无显著影响。差异不显著可能与围栏效应有关。     

食物充足条件下花鼠贮藏行为的研究

为了研究花鼠(Eutamias sibiricus)在食物充足情况下是否对食物进行贮藏。采用围栏实验来观察探究花鼠对食物贮藏的行为,选用四只花鼠进行行为观察。在提供足量的毛榛和东北红松种子的情况下,观察每只花鼠的取食量、埋藏量、巢内贮藏量、搬运量、原地剩余量、贮藏点数量、搬运量等指标。实验表明在食物充足情况下,花鼠取食后仍然对多余的食物进行搬运和贮藏。     

贮食动物的盗食与反盗食行为策略

食物贮藏是许多动物应对食物短缺、保障其生存和繁衍的一种适应性行为。保护好贮藏食物以供食物短缺期利用,是食物贮藏成功的标志和进化动力。同种或异种动物盗食是贮藏食物损失的重要原因。嗅觉、视觉与空间记忆、随机搜寻等是动物搜寻和盗取食物的重要手段;避免盗食、阻止盗食和容忍盗食是动物反盗食的重要策略。动物通常采用多种行为策略进行盗食和反盗食,分配食物资源,形成相对稳定的种内、种间关系。盗食与反盗食互作及其对贮食行为进化的意义已成为行为生态学的研究热点和前沿之一,针对鸟类和哺乳类动物的研究尤为丰富。本文总结了贮食动物常见的盗食和反盗食行为策略及其相互作用的研究进展,主要内容涉及贮食动物利用嗅觉、视觉与空间记忆、随机搜寻等盗取其他个体食物的盗食策略,以及通过隐藏、转移、保卫、容忍等方式减少被盗食,保护贮藏食物的行为策略。针对现有研究状况,从种间盗食与反盗食及其与物种共存的关系,种间非对称盗食关系及其适应意义,盗食与反盗食最适行为策略及其与贮食动物适合度的关系等方面对今后研究提出了建议。     

红松结实量与松果可利用量对松鼠和花鼠贮食行为的影响

植物通过每隔几年产生大量种子的丰年策略提高贮食动物传播种子效率,但人为采摘活动降低了种子的可利用量,从而影响贮食动物行为及种群动态。为研究红松球果采摘如何通过降低松果可利用量而影响贮食动物行为,我们基于黑龙江凉水自然保护区2003-2012年红松结实量和采摘量的变化,比较分析了结实大小年间松鼠贮点大小、贮点深度、贮食密度和贮藏量、松鼠花鼠种群以及2010年和2011年花鼠洞穴贮藏量的差异。结果显示：结实大年松鼠的平均贮点大小显著高于小年,大贮点比例增加,贮食密度和贮藏量也明显高于结实小年,但随着结实量的增大,球果采摘量增加,使松果可利用量减少,由此结实大年2011年松鼠贮食密度并未随结实量增加而增加,反而低于2003年和2008年,松鼠遇见率也没有在该结实大年有所增长。而花鼠种群和洞穴松籽贮藏量在结实大年和小年间没有显著差异。研究表明红松球果采摘对松果可利用量和松鼠贮食行为有较大影响,应合理确定大年的采摘量以保证贮食动物的食物丰度,维系红松生态系统健康。     

Degree of protandry reflects level of extrapair paternity in migratory songbirds

Males of most migratory organisms, including many birds, precede female conspecifics on their journey to the breeding areas. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the evolution of protandrous migration, yet they have rarely been tested at the interspecific level. Here, we provide correlational support for the “mate opportunity” hypothesis, which assumes that selection favours protandry in polygynous species where males gain significant fitness benefits from arriving earlier than females. Drawing on phenological data collected at two northern European stopover sites, we show that the time-lag in spring passage between males and females of five Palearctic migratory songbird species is positively associated with levels of extrapair paternity available from the literature. This suggests that males arrive relatively more in advance of females in species with high sperm competition where sexual selection through female choice is intense. Thus, protandry may arise from selection on the relative arrival timing of males and females rather than from selection within one of the sexes.     

Ejaculate economics: an experimental test in a moth

Increasing evidence shows that spermatogenesis is costly. As a consequence, males should optimize the use of their sperm to maximize their reproductive outputs in their lifetime. However, experimental evidence on this prediction is largely lacking. Here, we examine how a male moth Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) responds to the presence of rivals or additional mates and how such response influences his lifetime reproductive fitness. We show that when rival males are present around a copulating pair, the male ejaculates more sperm to win a sperm competition battle but in such an environment he inseminates fewer females, sires fewer offspring and lives shorter. The opposite is the case when additional females are present during copulation. These findings reveal that elevated reproductive expenditure owing to sperm competition intensity is made at the expense of longevity and future reproduction.     

Repeated radicle pruning of Quercus mongolica acorns as a cache management tactic of Siberian chipmunks

Many rodents hoard seeds as a means of ensuring food availability during scarcity. Siberian chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus) feed on acorns of white oak Quercus mongolica and hoard them for future use. Such caches may deteriorate due to the early germination of the acorns in autumn, which can be inhibited by radicle pruning or embryo excision. Siberian chipmunks are found to frequently prune the radicles of germinated acorns of Q. mongolica; however, whether this behavior is a kind of cache management tactic remains unclear. Here, we performed semi-natural enclosure and field experiments to test the role of radicle pruning in cache management of T. sibiricus. We found that T. sibiricus preferred non-germinated acorns and tended to prune radicles of germinating acorns when scatter-hoarding them, but did not perform the behavior of embryo excision by squirrels. Both semi-natural enclosure and field experiments showed that T. sibiricus not only pruned radicles repeatedly but removed radicles varied in length from acorns, which significantly postponed acorn germination and radicle growth. These observations suggest that radicle pruning would be an evolutionary tactic for cache management of Siberian chipmunks.     

Introduced Siberian chipmunks are more heavily infested by ixodid ticks than are native bank voles in a suburban forest in France

By serving as hosts for native vectors, introduced species can surpass native hosts in their role as major reservoirs of local pathogens. During a 4-year longitudinal study, we investigated factors that affected infestation by ixodid ticks on both introduced Siberian chipmunks Tamias sibiricus barberi and native bank voles Myodes glareolus in a suburban forest (Forêt de Sénart, Ile-de-France). Ticks were counted on adult bank voles and on adult and young chipmunks using regular monthly trapping sessions, and questing ticks were quantified by dragging. At the summer peak of questing Ixodes ricinus availability, the average tick load was 27-69 times greater on adult chipmunks than on adult voles, while average biomass per hectare of chipmunks and voles were similar. In adult chipmunks, individual effects significantly explained 31% and 24% of the total variance of tick larvae and nymph burdens, respectively. Male adult chipmunks harboured significantly more larvae and nymphs than adult females, and than juveniles born in spring and in summer. The higher tick loads, and more specifically the ratio of nymphs over larvae, observed in chipmunks may be caused by a higher predisposition - both in terms of susceptibility and exposure - to questing ticks. Tick burdens were also related to habitat and seasonal variation in age- and sex-related space use by both rodents. Introduced chipmunks may thus have an important role in the dynamics of local vector-borne pathogens compared with native reservoir hosts such as bank voles.     

`Little Chipmunk' Syndrome? Male Body Size and Dominance in Captive Yellow‐Pine Chipmunks (Tamias amoenus)

In mammals, large males are often assumed to have higher mating success because they have greater success at contest competition. This relationship is often used to explain the prevalence of male-biased sexual size dimorphism in mammals. However, in many small vertebrates, large individuals are not always dominant. Using staged dyadic encounters, we examined the relationship between male body size and social dominance in captive male yellow-pine chipmunks ( Tamias amoenus ), a species with female-biased sexual size dimorphism. The yellow-pine chipmunk has a mating system in which males participate in mating chases and dominant males may have an advantage in acquiring matings with oestrous females. Captive male chipmunks were aggressive in only 28% of 144 paired encounters; however, several lines of evidence indicated that smaller chipmunks were dominant over large chipmunks: (1) small males were dominant in more dyads than large males; (2) within dyads, dominant males were smaller than subordinate males; and (3) small males performed more aggressive behaviour than large males. These results are not consistent with the prediction that large males are typically dominant. If large chipmunks are able to gain matings with females because of qualities other than dominance (such as the ability to successfully find and/or chase receptive females), then the costs of aggression to large chipmunks may outweigh any potential benefits. Small males, but not large males, may improve their mating success by being aggressive.     

Operational sex ratio and resource defence as predictors of the mating system in European bitterling

Operational sex ratio (OSR), the ratio of sexually active males to fertilizable females in a population, plays a central role in the theory of mating systems by predicting that the intensity of male–male competition and the degree of sexual selection increases as the OSR becomes increasingly male biased. At high values of OSR, however, resource defence theory predicts the breakdown of territoriality and a shift towards scramble competition with a decrease in sexual selection. The direction that correlations between OSR and resource competition and variance in mating success will take depends on the biology of the species of interest. We investigated the effects of male population density and male‐biased operational sex ratio on male mating tactics shown by a freshwater fish, the European bitterling, Rhodeus sericeus . This species spawns inside living unioneid mussels. Large males defended territories, were aggressive towards conspecifics under equal sex ratios and monopolized pair spawnings with females. The mating tactic, however, changed at high male density where large males ceased to be territorial and instead competed with groups of smaller males to release sperm when females spawned. This change in male behaviour from pair to group spawning has two ramifications for sexual selection. The intensity of sexual selection and variance in male mating success decrease, and the form of sexual competition changes from resource‐ to sperm competition. Thus, the use of alternative mating tactics renders the OSR unable to predict the direction of resource competition and variance in male mating success at high densities.     

Male parasitism and intrasexual competition in a burrowing barnacle

Summary In sexually dimorphic animals, large male body size is often associated with direct interference competition among males for access to females or resources used in reproduction. In constrast, small male body size may be associated with indirect scramble competition among males for temporal or spatial access to females. Minute, “parasitic” males of the acrothoracican barnacleTrypetesa lampas (Hancock) appear to compete with one another for permanent attachment sites on the external body of the female. Several spatial patterns suggest indirect male-male competition: 1) males were consistently aggregated on the anterior surface of the female ovarian disc; 2) the average distance from attached males to the site of insemination correlated positively with local male density; 3) average male body size on a female decreased as a function of male density; 4) the distribution of males on the left and right hand sides of the female ovarian disc was more even than expected, suggesting that males avoided crowded settlement sites. The number of males attached to a female increased with female body size and matched a null model in which males colonized female “targets” of differing areas. These results suggest that competition between males primarily affected settlement sites and male body sizes within, rather than among, females. Male parasitism may have evolved through both sexual selection for efficient access to females (Ghiselin 1974) and natural selection for reduced burrow density in a space-limited habitat (Turner and Yakovlev 1983).     

Sisters' curse: sexually antagonistic effects constrain the spread of a mitochondrial haplogroup superior in sperm competition

Maternal inheritance of mitochondria creates a sex-specific selective sieve with implications for male longevity, disease susceptibility and infertility. Because males are an evolutionary dead end for mitochondria, mitochondrial mutations that are harmful or beneficial to males but not females cannot respond directly to selection. Although the importance of this male/female asymmetry in evolutionary response depends on the extent to which mitochondrial mutations exert antagonistic effects on male and female fitness, few studies have documented sex-specific selection acting on mitochondria. Here, we exploited the discovery of two highly divergent mitochondrial haplogroups (A and B2) in central Panamanian populations of the pseudoscorpion Cordylochernes scorpioides. Next-generation sequencing and phylogenetic analyses suggest that selection on the ND4 and ND4L mitochondrial genes may partially explain sexually antagonistic mitochondrial effects on reproduction. Males carrying the rare B2 mitochondrial haplogroup enjoy a marked advantage in sperm competition, but B2 females are significantly less sexually receptive at second mating than A females. This reduced propensity for polyandry is likely to significantly reduce female lifetime reproductive success, thereby limiting the spread of the male beneficial B2 haplogroup. Our findings suggest that maternal inheritance of mitochondria and sexually antagonistic selection can constrain male adaptation and sexual selection in nature.     

Male and female preference for conspecifics in a fish with male parental care (Percidae: Catonotus)

Speciation by sexual selection is commonly modeled as the divergent co-evolution of male signals and female preferences in geographically isolated populations. Upon secondary contact, females fail to recognize divergent males as suitable mates and exhibit a strong preference for their own type. The result is behavioral isolation and, if behavioral isolation is strong enough, there is an absence of gene flow between two species. Growing evidence of both mutual and male choice challenges the conventional role of females as primary regulators of species boundaries; however, to date, few studies have explicitly compared males and females for conspecific preference. The relative contribution of the two sexes to species boundaries therefore remains poorly understood. We examined the strength of preference for conspecifics in both males and females using two closely related species of darters. Males in these species exhibit substantial parental investment; therefore, we hypothesized that selection for male choosiness would result in male preference for conspecifics comparable to females’. Results show that females exhibited strong and significant preference for conspecific males; whereas, male preference for conspecific females was highly variable. Some males showed a strong preference for conspecifics while others preferred heterospecifics or showed no preference, resulting in a non-significant mean preference for conspecifics. Therefore, despite considerable parental investment by males in this system, our results suggest females play a larger role in regulating species boundaries.