雄性布氏田鼠对不同熟悉程度和动情状态下雌鼠气味的辨别

通过雄性布氏田鼠（Microtus brandti)对配偶和陌生雌鼠气味的辨别实验发现：（1）雌鼠动情状况对雄鼠气味行为反应的影响，当配偶雌鼠处于动情期时，被试雄鼠对动情陌生雌鼠巢垫物的溴闻和舔舐的持续时间都明显多于对非动情陌生雌鼠巢垫物的嗅闻和舔舐时间，而其他行为没有明显判别当配偶雌鼠处于非动情期时，雄鼠对动情的和非动情的陌生雌鼠的气味行为反应都没有明显判别当陌生雌鼠处于动情期时，被试雄鼠对动情配偶气味的嗅闻时间明显多于对非动情配偶的嗅闻时间，而其他行为反应没有明显差异；当陌生雌鼠处于非动情期时，被试雄鼠对动情配偶雌鼠巢垫物的嗅闻时间，挖掘频次，舔舐频次和时间都明显多于对非动情配偶气味的嗅闻，而且雄鼠在动情配偶气味周围搔扒体侧行为的发生频次和持续时间也多于在非动情配偶气味周围的搔扒行为；（2）熟悉性对雄鼠气味行为反应的影响，当配偶雌鼠和陌生雌鼠都处于动情期或都处于非动情期时，被试雄鼠对陌生雌鼠气味的探究行为（嗅问、挖掘和舔噬）和搔扒体侧行为明显多于对配偶雌鼠气味的探究；雄鼠访问陌生雌鼠气味源箱的频次和在其中的停留时间也都多于访问配偶雌鼠气味源箱的频次和停留时间；当配偶雌鼠处于动情期而陌生雌鼠处于非动情期时，被试雄鼠对配偶气味的嗅闻，挖掘和自身修饰行为明显多于对陌生雌鼠气味的行为反应，进入配偶气味源箱中的访问频次也多于进入陌生雌鼠气味源箱的访问频次。结果说明：雌鼠与被试雄鼠的熟悉程度和雌鼠的动情状况直接影响雄性布氏田鼠的社会探究和气味选择行为，即雄鼠偏好并选择动情雌鼠和陌生雌鼠，雄性布氏田鼠对雌鼠气味的行为反应也表现出田鼠属动物典型的多配制种类特征。

ODOR PREFERENCES OF ADULT MALE BRANDT'S VOLE (MICROTUS BRANDTI) -DISCRIMINATION OF FEMALE INDIVIDUAL SCENTS

The odor preferences of adult male Brandt's voles (Microtus brandti) to spouse and adult novel females were recorded in a 30-minute 2-way odor choice test. Four kinds of odor combinations: (1)estrous spouse and estrous novel female odor;(2)estrous spouse and diestrous novel female odor;(3)diestrous spouse and estrous novel female odor;(4)diestrous spouse and diestrous novel female odors, were presented to breeding male voles. In experiment 1, 3 and 4, male voles presented more sniffing, digging, and other investigating behaviors to novel female odor than those to the spouse odor; males also spent more time in the experimental box with unfamiliar female odor than in the box with spouse female odor. In experiment 2, males preferred the estrous spouse odor over the odor of diestrous novel female, and the visit frequency to estrous spouse odor was significantly higher than the frequency of visit to diestrous novel female odor. These results indicated that male voles preferred odors of estrous females to diestrous females, and they preferred novel female scents to spouse's scents when the female odor donors were in the same estrus cycles. The results also suggested that males would prefer novel or estrous females in the mate choice. These responses are typical of a polygamous rodent species.