Scent marking by voles in response to predation risk: a field-laboratory validation

Predators use scent to locate their prey, and prey animals oftenalter their behavior in response to predation risk. I testedthe hypothesis that voles would decrease their frequency ofscent marking in response to predation risk. I conducted trialsin which prairie voles, Microtus ochrogaster, and woodland voles,M. pinetorum, were allowed to scent mark ceramic tiles placedin their runways in the field. The tiles were subjected to oneof three treatments: scented with odor from mink, Mustela vison(a rodent predator); rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (a nonpredatormammal control); and no odor (control). No significant differenceswere found in the frequency of scent marking in response tothe three treatments for either species. To validate that volesdid not decrease their scent marking in response to predationrisk, I brought male prairie voles from the field site intothe laboratory and allowed them to scent mark white paper substratetreated with mink odor, rabbit odor, or no odor. No significantdifferences were found in the frequency of scent marks in responseto the three treatments. These results differ from what waspredicted based on laboratory studies with other species ofrodents that show avoidance, reproductive suppression, decreasedactivity, and reduced scent marking in response to odors ofpredators. Voles appear to scent mark different substrates andunder a wide variety of social and environmental situations,and this is not influenced by the presence of odor from a predator.     

光周期和气味信号对雄性布氏田鼠血浆睾酮含量的影响

Chemical signals provide important cues in social behavior of many mammalian speciesly, mediating sexual, aggressive, parental and spacing behavior, as well as influencing an animals internal hormonal milieu. Conspecific novel males substrate was given as individual odor stimulus to adult male Brandts voles(Microtus brandti) that left in individual cases in long\|photoperiod (LD) and short\|photoperiod (SD) resfectioely. The plasma testosterone of these male actors was mensurated by radioimmunoassay. The results indicated that plasma testosterone increased with the duration that the male vole was exposed to the odor of a novel male. Plasma testosterone concentration in LD males increased sigrificanily than those in SD males in 30 minutes.After 1 hour or 2 hours, exposed to the novel scents, the testosterone levels of LD males were higher than SD males, but didnt show significant difference. The results demonstrated that the chemical signals induced releasing of androgen and the increase of plasma testosterone of males voles exposed to novel conspecific odors was also influenced by the photoperiod. It suggest that the change of testosterone concentration would underlie the odor producing and odor preferences of Brandts vole.     

棕色田鼠的配偶选择和相关特征

为了确定野外生态研究中对棕色田鼠婚配制度为单配制的预测,在实验室观察记录了棕色田鼠的配偶选择箱内对配偶鼠（与选择鼠交配刚生过仔,雌鼠产后动情）与陌生鼠、熟悉鼠（雌雄田鼠山居一段时间后,开始进行交配）与陌生鼠的选择,发现棕色田鼠访问、追逐、嗅闻、爬胯配偶鼠和熟悉鼠以及与配偶鼠和熟悉鼠交配和相伴的时间明显地多于对 陌生鼠,而且攻击陌生鼠的时间明显多于配偶鼠和熟悉鼠（Wilcoxon检验,P＜0.05）。结果表明：雌雄棕色田鼠特异性地选择配偶鼠和熟悉鼠,对陌生鼠表现出较多的排斥,从而在配偶选择上呈现单配制特征。通过统计计算棕色田鼠社会组织特征和室内的个体形态、幼仔发育、交配行为、双亲育幼行为、社交倾向等参数,然后把这些参数和婚配制度较明确的草原田鼠、松田鼠、山地田鼠、草甸田鼠的相关数据进行比较,发现它与多配制种类差异较大,而与单配制的田鼠各类相似,通过以上实验分析结果推断棕色田鼠的婚配制度可能呈单配制,和野外生态研究的推测相一致。     

布氏田鼠非取食性牧草消耗量的测定

布氏田鼠 (Ｍｉｃｒｏｔｕｓｂｒａｎｄｔｉ)为内蒙古典型草原区的主要害鼠之一[1,6 ,8,9] 其危害主要表现为与牛羊争夺牧草资源。因此 ,测定其牧草消耗量 ,是定量地衡量其危害程度 ,推算鼠害防治经济阈值的重要基础。在牧草生长季节 ,该鼠对牧草的消耗主要分为两个方面 ,即取食量和非取食性消耗量 (布氏田鼠咬断而未取食的部分牧草或者食物残屑 )。有关该鼠食性与食量的研究已有一些报道[2 ,3 ,5] ,但对该鼠的非取食性牧草消耗量则缺乏研究。为此 ,本文开展了这项工作 ,为定量估算该鼠的危害程度提供依据。1　材料与方法本项研究是于 1997…     

Can landscape properties predict occurrence of grey-sided voles?

There has been a long-term decline in spring and fall numbers of Clethrionomys rufocanus in boreal Sweden in 1971–2005. Previous studies on permanent sampling plots in the centre of 2.5 × 2.5 km landscapes suggested that habitat fragmentation (sensu destruction) could have contributed to the decline. Therefore, we tested these findings in a field study and compared trapping results on the central sampling plots of landscapes with a low degree of fragmentation (LDF) and of “hot spot” type with trapping results in managed forest landscapes with a high degree of fragmentation (HDF). We predicted that C. rufocanus would be more common on the LDF plots. We used our permanent plots supplemented with a new sample of plots, mainly of the rare LDF type, inside or just outside the long-term study area. Very few voles were trapped on both plot types, and no difference was found. However, a subsequent pilot study with trapping in a national park with large areas of pristine, unfragmented forest yielded more voles than in the managed, more fragmented, areas. Consequently, the initial field study data and some other recent data were also re-analysed from a “local patch quality” perspective. This alternative approach revealed the positive importance of large focal patches of forest >60 years old and their content of old-growth (pine) forest (>100 years). Interestingly, at the landscape level, the frequency distribution of patches of forest >60 years old, old-growth (>100 years), and especially of old-growth pine forest (>100 years), relative to the properties of plots with C. rufocanus, suggested that there are few forest patches left that are suitable for C. rufocanus. Our current results suggest that habitat fragmentation cannot be excluded as a contributing cause to the long-term decline of C. rufocanus in boreal Sweden.     

A CONTACT ZONE WITH NONCOINCIDENT CLINES FOR SEX-SPECIFIC MARKERS IN THE FIELD VOLE (MICROTUS AGRESTIS)

A field vole (Microtus agrestis) population characterized by unique mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome markers occurs in southwest Sweden. A contact zone between this Lund (Lu) population and a standard (St) population was examined with two sex-specific genetic markers. The field vole mtDNA and Y chromosome clines display a remarkable lack of coincidence, rarely observed in contact zones. The cline width for both markers is about 50 km, but the two clines are displaced from each other: the mtDNA cline is found in the central part of the study area, whereas the cline for the Y chromosome is located in the eastern part. Thus, the absolute width of the Lu-St zone spans about 95–110 km. As a result of the cline shift, all male hybrids carry the Lu-Y chromosome and St-type mtDNA. The other possible male hybrid class is lacking. The distinct noncoincidence of the mtDNA and Y chromosome clines is most likely explained by selection against male hybrids with the St-Y chromosome and Lu-mtDNA. It is possible that incompatibilities between the maternal genome of Lu-type animals and the paternal genome of St-type individuals exist. However, alternative explanations based on neutrality or selective advantage cannot be totally dismissed.     

根田鼠的熟悉性及其自然动情下的配偶选择

报道了在室内雌鼠自然动情条件下根田鼠两性个体配偶选择的3种熟悉性效应的5组实验结果,包括雌性对熟悉和陌生雄鼠、配偶和陌生雄鼠、配偶和熟悉雄鼠的择偶行为实验 , 雄性对熟悉和陌生雌鼠、配偶和陌生雌鼠的择偶行为实验。在实验前, 将1对性成熟的雌雄鼠 (非亲缘关系) 每天关养8 h 共8 d 建立熟悉性; 配对雌雄鼠至少生育1胎则为配偶关系。在 Y 形迷宫内的30 min 实验中, 两个被选择鼠分别以项链拴在横跨选择箱顶端中央的一根铁丝上, 限制它们在各自箱内活动; 而允许异性选择鼠从中立箱自由进入两个选择箱。记录选择鼠对异性被选择鼠的访问、社会探究、攻击、交配和友好行为的频次和时间。经Wilcoxon 关联样本 T 检验发现, 除交配行为不显著外, 雌性根田鼠均选择熟悉性较高的雄鼠; 而雄鼠不具这种选择性。该结果提示雌雄根田鼠的不同择偶行为也许就是反映该种婚配制度特征的直接行为过程。因此, 在择偶行为中, 雌性根田鼠表现的单配性倾向和雄鼠的多配性倾向, 只能以其婚配制度为一雄多雌制的假设来解释。我们的实验还说明在多配制田鼠中, 一雄多雌制与混交制在雌鼠择偶行为上是不同的, 而与单配制的相似或相近, 故简单地比较多配制与单配制则不能反映田鼠亚科动物婚配制度的多样性。     

棕色田鼠与甘肃鼢鼠咀嚼肌结构和功能的比较

为了解棕色田鼠与甘肃鼢鼠对食物的适应机制, 对它们的咀嚼肌及相关的骨学特征做了比较解剖, 并运用生物力学原理分析下颌运动方式及食物加工过程的咀嚼效率。结果表明, 两个种的下颌的咀嚼均以水平面的前后向运动为主, 研磨加工植物纤维。相应地, 咀嚼肌、牙齿及相关的骨骼形态也具有一系列与此运动方式和功能相适应的结构特征, 如彼此平行的左右侧颊齿列、沟槽状的下颌关节窝以及咬肌的排列位置前移等。此外, 两个种具有几乎相同的门齿切割效率和臼齿咀嚼效率。两个种的上述相似特征与它们有着相似的食物结构是一致的。