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Bedoya-Pérez MA, Herrera EA, Congdon ER. Potential female mate choice in a male dominated system: the female capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris. J Mammal 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyaa032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Capybaras, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Rodentia: Caviidae: Hydrochoerinae), show a strict social hierarchy among males, wherein the top-ranking male gains preferential access to females. Despite minimal sexual size dimorphism, males have a prominent scent gland on their snouts that is greatly reduced in the females. Top-ranking males have a larger gland and mark more frequently than subordinate males. This species also shows a moderately complex courtship that seems to be modulated by female behavior. In this study, we evaluated several components of courtship, as well as the females’ interactions with males during and outside courtship, in relation to the hierarchy rank of males. We found that subordinate males engaged in longer courtships than top-ranking males. However, there was no difference in the number of mount attempts or the success rate of these mounts as a function of the social status of the male, despite the longer courtship performed by subordinate males in comparison to top-ranking males. Outside courtship, females directed the same number of social interactions to males regardless of status. However, during courtship, females avoided copulation by subordinate males both directly and indirectly by encouraging courtship disruption by higher-ranking males. Females’ avoidance of subordinates may force these males to invest a higher amount of effort in courtships, thus engaging in longer courtships, yet achieving similar mount success as top-ranking males. We show that the original assumption of male hierarchy as the main mechanism of reproductive distribution is incomplete, and female mate choice plays an important role in determining which males reproduce.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A Bedoya-Pérez
- Departamento de Estudios Ambientales, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Apartado, Caracas, Venezuela
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Emilio A Herrera
- Departamento de Estudios Ambientales, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Apartado, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Elizabeth R Congdon
- Department of Natural Sciences, Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, FL, USA
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2
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Overmarking behaviour of zebra males: no scent masking, but a group cohesion function across three species. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2744-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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3
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Morales-González A, Ruíz-Villar H, Ozgul A, Maag N, Cozzi G. Group size and social status affect scent marking in dispersing female meerkats. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Many animal species use scent marks such as feces, urine, and glandular secretions to find mates, advertise their reproductive status, and defend an exclusive territory. Scent marking may be particularly important during dispersal, when individuals emigrate from their natal territory searching for mates and a new territory to settle and reproduce. In this study, we investigated the scent-marking behavior of 30 dispersing female meerkats (Suricata suricatta) during the three consecutive stages of dispersal—emigration, transience, and settlement. We expected marking patterns to differ between dispersal stages, depending on social circumstances such as presence of unrelated mates and social status of the individuals within each dispersing coalition and also to be influenced by water and food availability. We showed that defecation probability increased with group size during the settlement stage, when newly formed groups are expected to signal their presence to other resident groups. Urination probability was higher in subordinate than in dominant individuals during each of the three dispersal stages and it decreased overall as the dispersal process progressed. Urine may, thus, be linked to advertisement of the social status within a coalition. Anal marking probability did not change across dispersal stages but increased with the presence of unrelated males and was higher in dominants than in subordinates. We did not detect any effect of rain or foraging success on defecation and urination probability. Our results suggest that feces, urine, and anal markings serve different communication purposes (e.g., within and between-group communication) during the dispersal process.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Héctor Ruíz-Villar
- Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Van Zylsrus, South Africa
| | - Arpat Ozgul
- Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Van Zylsrus, South Africa
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nino Maag
- Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Van Zylsrus, South Africa
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gabriele Cozzi
- Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Van Zylsrus, South Africa
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland
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Fanjul MS, Varas MF, Zenuto RR. Female preference for males that have exclusively marked or invaded territories depends on male presence and its identity in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum. Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- María Sol Fanjul
- Grupo ‘Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento’; Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - María Florencia Varas
- Grupo ‘Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento’; Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Roxana Rita Zenuto
- Grupo ‘Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento’; Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Mar del Plata Argentina
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5
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Becker EA, Castelli FR, Yohn CN, Spencer L, Marler CA. Species differences in urine scent-marking and counter-marking in Peromyscus. Behav Processes 2017; 146:1-9. [PMID: 29100968 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Revised: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Species comparisons indicate that scent-marking may differ as a function of mating system and co-housing with the opposite sex ("pairing"). We previously demonstrated that pairing may decrease male solicitation to unfamiliar females in the monogamous Peromyscus californicus but not in the non-monogamous P. leucopus. Whether urine scent-marking of females changes following pairing and whether scent-marking of paired males varies in response to scent-marks of their cagemate versus those of an unfamiliar female has not been examined. Therefore, we tested P. californicus and P. leucopus for within and between species differences in urine scent-marking of: 1) paired and non-paired females in an unscented arena, and 2) paired males in response to their female cagemate's or an unfamiliar female's scent-marks (counter-marking). Consistent with previous findings, P. californicus of both sexes deposited more urine scent-marks and covered greater surface area than P. leucopus. In both species, female scent-marking did not differ according to pairing status and male counter-marking did not differ in response to the scent-marks of their female cagemate versus an unfamiliar female. More females of both species and more P. leucopus, but not P. californicus, males scent-marked more around the perimeter than centrally. Potential explanations for these findings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Becker
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, United States; Department of Psychology, Saint Joseph's University 5600 City Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19131, United States.
| | - Frank R Castelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Christine N Yohn
- Department of Psychology, Saint Joseph's University 5600 City Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19131, United States
| | - Lindsey Spencer
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Catherine A Marler
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, United States; Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 250 N Mills St., Madison, WI 53706, United States
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6
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Bonatto F, Priotto J, Coda J, Steinmann AR. Female Intrasexual Territoriality and its Potential Adaptive Significance: The Pampean Grassland Mouse as an Ecological Model Species. Ethology 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Florencia Bonatto
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto; Río Cuarto Córdoba Argentina
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Ecología Poblacional y Comportamental (GIEPCO); Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto; Río Cuarto Córdoba Argentina
| | - José Priotto
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto; Río Cuarto Córdoba Argentina
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Ecología Poblacional y Comportamental (GIEPCO); Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto; Río Cuarto Córdoba Argentina
| | - José Coda
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto; Río Cuarto Córdoba Argentina
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Ecología Poblacional y Comportamental (GIEPCO); Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto; Río Cuarto Córdoba Argentina
| | - Andrea R. Steinmann
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto; Río Cuarto Córdoba Argentina
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Ecología Poblacional y Comportamental (GIEPCO); Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto; Río Cuarto Córdoba Argentina
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7
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A history-based method to estimate animal preference. Sci Rep 2016; 6:28328. [PMID: 27350213 PMCID: PMC4923856 DOI: 10.1038/srep28328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Giving animals their preferred items (e.g., environmental enrichment) has been suggested as a method to improve animal welfare, thus raising the question of how to determine what animals want. Most studies have employed choice tests for detecting animal preferences. However, whether choice tests represent animal preferences remains a matter of controversy. Here, we present a history-based method to analyse data from individual choice tests to discriminate between preferred and non-preferred items. This method differentially weighs choices from older and recent tests performed over time. Accordingly, we provide both a preference index that identifies preferred items contrasted with non-preferred items in successive multiple-choice tests and methods to detect the strength of animal preferences for each item. We achieved this goal by investigating colour choices in the Nile tilapia fish species.
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Borowski Z, Malinowska A, Książek A. Relationships between dominance, testosterone level and scent marking of males in a free-living root vole (Microtus oeconomus) population. Physiol Behav 2014; 128:26-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2013] [Revised: 01/08/2014] [Accepted: 01/26/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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10
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Thonhauser KE, Raveh S, Hettyey A, Beissmann H, Penn DJ. Scent marking increases male reproductive success in wild house mice. Anim Behav 2013; 86:1013-1021. [PMID: 25554707 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Scent marking is often assumed to be a secondary sexual trait that increases males' mating and reproductive success, although direct evidence for this hypothesis is lacking. We conducted a study with wild-derived house mice, Mus musculus musculus, to test whether scent marking increases males' reproductive success when females can freely choose between two territorial males. We also experimentally manipulated males' competitive scent marking by exchanging scent-marked tiles between the neighbouring males' territories (intrusion treatment) or relocating males' tiles within their own territory (control). Experimental animals were tested twice and we examined whether individual males were consistent in their marking. We found that males marked more in the intrusion treatment than controls and more at shared territorial borders than elsewhere. We found high day-to-day variation in most individuals' scent marking, and yet the sum of individuals' scent marking was consistent over time and across different social conditions. Genetic paternity analyses revealed that males' scent marking significantly increased their reproductive success in both the intrusion treatment and the controls. Surprisingly, however, female social preference was not positively correlated with male scent marking. These results provide direct evidence that scent marking increases males' reproductive success when females can choose their mates, even though it did not increase females' social preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin E Thonhauser
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Shirley Raveh
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria ; Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology and Evolution, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Attila Hettyey
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria ; Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Helmut Beissmann
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dustin J Penn
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
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11
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Inter-male aggression with regard to polygynous mating system in Pampean grassland mouse, Akodon azarae (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae). J ETHOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-013-0370-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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12
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Becker EA, Petruno S, Marler CA. A comparison of scent marking between a monogamous and promiscuous species of peromyscus: pair bonded males do not advertise to novel females. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32002. [PMID: 22393377 PMCID: PMC3290528 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2011] [Accepted: 01/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Scent marking can provide behavioral and physiological information including territory ownership and mate advertisement. It is unknown how mating status and pair cohabitation influence marking by males from different social systems. We compared the highly territorial and monogamous California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) to the less territorial and promiscuous white-footed mouse (P. leucopus). Single and mated males of both species were assigned to one of the following arenas lined with filter paper: control (unscented arena), male scented (previously scent-marked by a male conspecific), or females present (containing females in small cages). As expected, the territorial P. californicus scent marked and overmarked an unfamiliar male conspecific's scent marks more frequently than P. leucopus. Species differences in responses to novel females were also found based on mating status. The presence of unfamiliar females failed to induce changes in scent marking in pair bonded P. californicus even though virgin males increased marking behavior. Pair bonding appears to reduce male advertisement for novel females. This is in contrast to P. leucopus males that continue to advertise regardless of mating status. Our data suggest that communication through scent-marking can diverge significantly between species based on mating system and that there are physiological mechanisms that can inhibit responsiveness of males to female cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Becker
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America.
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13
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Urine marking in male common voles: does behavioural activity matter? Behav Processes 2012; 90:174-9. [PMID: 22285890 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2012.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2011] [Revised: 01/07/2012] [Accepted: 01/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Rodent urine provides animals with a large amount of information, from the identity of the animal through its physical condition to social status. Many studies therefore focus on rodent urine-marking behaviour and use marking frequency as an indicator of social status or competitive ability. However, marking, like many other aspects of rodent behaviour, may be affected by individual behavioural activity, a factor that has not been examined so far. We therefore studied a relationship between male urine-marking in reaction to another male's marks (standard opponent) and individual personality profile, characterised by behavioural activity in an open field test (OFT). The marking appeared to be consistent and specific for particular individuals as there was a significant positive relationship between individual markings in two different phases of the experiment. The linkage between behavioural activity in the OFT and urine-marking frequency was non-linear (quadratic), which suggested that males with intermediate activity marked more intensively than males from the extremes of the behavioural spectra. The relationship between the opponent's and the tested males' markings was positive, however, we found no statistically significant evidence that the voles would attempt to overmark the opponent. Marking thus seems to have more of a self-advertising than a competitive function in the common vole. Further, as high marking activity is under strong intra- or intersexual selection, the result might suggest a stabilising selection of the personality trait described as behavioural activity in our study.
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14
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Castelli FR, Kelley RA, Keane B, Solomon NG. Female prairie voles show social and sexual preferences for males with longer avpr1a microsatellite alleles. Anim Behav 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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15
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Jordan NR, Mwanguhya F, Furrer RD, Kyabulima S, Rüedi P, Cant MA. Scent marking in wild banded mongooses: 2. Intrasexual overmarking and competition between males. Anim Behav 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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16
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Curtis JT. Female prairie vole mate-choice is affected by the males' birth litter composition. Physiol Behav 2010; 101:93-100. [PMID: 20434472 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2009] [Revised: 04/16/2010] [Accepted: 04/21/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Experimental testing and retrospective examination of breeding records were used to examine the influence of sex composition and/or size of males' birth litters on female mate-choice. Sexually naïve female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) avoided males derived from all-male litters, but showed no preference for, or aversion to, males from single-male litters or from more typical mixed-sex litters. Examination of the pregnancy status of females after two weeks of pairing with a male allowed us to estimate the probabilites of a pups' intrauterine position relative to siblings for various litter sizes. The typical prairie vole pup derived from a mixed-sex litter comprised of 4.4 pups, and had a 13% chance of being isolated from siblings in utero and a 22% chance of being between siblings in utero. Pups from single-sex litters tended to be larger at weaning than did pups from mixed-sex litters; however, male size did not influence female choice behavior. These results suggest that some aspect of the perinatal experience of prairie vole pups from single sex litters can influence social interactions later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Thomas Curtis
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK 74107, USA.
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17
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Clutton-Brock T, McAuliffe K. Female mate choice in mammals. QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2009; 84:3-27. [PMID: 19326786 DOI: 10.1086/596461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Studies of mate choice in vertebrates have focused principally on birds, in which male ornaments are often highly developed, and have shown that females commonly select mates on the basis of particular phenotypic characteristics that may reflect their genetic quality. Studies of female mate choice in mammals are less highly developed and they have commonly focused on female mating preferences that are likely to be maintained by benefits to the female's own survival or breeding success. However, recent experimental studies of mate choice in mammals--especially rodents--provide increasing evidence of consistent female preferences that appear likely to generate benefits to the fitness of offspring. As yet, there is no compelling evidence that female mating preferences are less highly developed in female mammals than in female birds, although these preferences may more often be masked by the effects of male competition or of attempts by males to constrain female choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Clutton-Brock
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom.
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Dantzer BJ, Jaeger RG. Detection of the Sexual Identity of Conspecifics through Volatile Chemical Signals in a Territorial Salamander. Ethology 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2006.01322.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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19
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Scents and sensibility: information content of olfactory signals in the ringtailed lemur, Lemur catta. Anim Behav 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Thomas SA, Wolff JO. Pair bonding and “the widow effect” in female prairie voles. Behav Processes 2004; 67:47-54. [PMID: 15182925 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2004.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2003] [Revised: 02/09/2004] [Accepted: 02/11/2004] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
We conducted field and laboratory experiments with the well-studied monogamous prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster, to distinguish among three hypotheses for the failure of females that lose their mates to bond with a new male ("the widow effect"). The reproductive value hypothesis predicts that males prefer young to older females because they potentially have a longer reproductive lifespan. The mate rejection hypothesis predicts that females will prevent repairing by aggressively deterring males that might harm their current offspring. The misdirected paternal care hypothesis assumes that females will mate during postpartum estrus and thus will be pregnant and/or nursing young throughout the breeding season; males will avoid pairing with older females to avoid providing care to unrelated offspring and/or because of a delay to the next breeding opportunity. Males associated and bred more with older than young females, allowing us to reject the reproductive value hypothesis. Our results were consistent with the male rejection hypothesis in that females were aggressive toward unfamiliar males. Our results were most consistent with the misdirected paternal care hypothesis in that once females started breeding, they continued to become pregnant and nurse young throughout the study period. Thus, our findings suggest that the potential of misdirected paternal care and delayed mating opportunity in conjunction with the aggressive behavior of females toward unfamiliar males are likely explanations for the lack of repairing for widow females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn A Thomas
- Department of Biology, College of St. Benedict, St. John's University, Joseph, MN 56374, USA
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Mech SG, Dunlap AS, Wolff JO. Female prairie voles do not choose males based on their frequency of scent marking. Behav Processes 2003; 61:101-108. [PMID: 12642166 DOI: 10.1016/s0376-6357(02)00128-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
We conducted an experiment to test three alternative hypotheses for the function of frequency of scent marking in male prairie voles, MICROTUS OCHROGASTER: (1) sexual attraction (to advertise male quality for mating); (2) reproductive competition; and (3) self-advertisement or individual identity. In laboratory experiments, males deposited scent on all areas of a bare substrate, and more in an area next to a stimulus animal than other areas, regardless of the stimulus animal's sex. Females did not choose mates based on their frequency of scent marking and scent marking did not antagonize or stimulate aggression between males. The frequency of scent marking by males supports the individual identity hypothesis, and is less consistent with the sexual attraction or reproductive competition hypotheses. Mate choice is likely based on a complex suite of characters, but at least in prairie voles, the frequency of scent marking by males does not appear to be one of them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen G. Mech
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, 99164-4236, Pullman, WA, USA
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