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Soininen EM, Neby M. Small rodent population cycles and plants - after 70 years, where do we go? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:265-294. [PMID: 37827522 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Small rodent population cycles characterise northern ecosystems, and the cause of these cycles has been a long-lasting central topic in ecology, with trophic interactions currently considered the most plausible cause. While some researchers have rejected plant-herbivore interactions as a cause of rodent cycles, others have continued to research their potential roles. Here, we present an overview of whether plants can cause rodent population cycles, dividing this idea into four different hypotheses with different pathways of plant impacts and related assumptions. Our systematic review of the existing literature identified 238 studies from 150 publications. This evidence base covered studies from the temperate biome to the tundra, but the studies were scattered across study systems and only a few specific topics were addressed in a replicated manner. Quantitative effects of rodents on vegetation was the best studied topic, and our evidence base suggests such that such effects may be most pronounced in winter. However, the regrowth of vegetation appears to take place too rapidly to maintain low rodent population densities over several years. The lack of studies prevented assessment of time lags in the qualitative responses of vegetation to rodent herbivory. We conclude that the literature is currently insufficient to discard with confidence any of the four potential hypotheses for plant-rodent cycles discussed herein. While new methods allow analyses of plant quality across more herbivore-relevant spatial scales than previously possible, we argue that the best way forward to rejecting any of the rodent-plant hypotheses is testing specific predictions of dietary variation. Indeed, all identified hypotheses make explicit assumptions on how rodent diet taxonomic composition and quality will change across the cycle. Passing this bottleneck could help pinpoint where, when, and how plant-herbivore interactions have - or do not have - plausible effects on rodent population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eeva M Soininen
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Postboks 6050 Langnes, Tromsø, 9037, Norway
| | - Magne Neby
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Høyvangvegen 40, Ridabu, 2322, Norway
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2
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Cachelou J, Saint-Andrieux C, Baubet E, Nivois E, Richard E, Gaillard JM, Gamelon M. Does mast seeding shape mating time in wild boar? A comparative study. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220213. [PMID: 35855608 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In seasonal environments, the timing of reproduction often matches with the peak of food resources. One well-known effect of global warming is an earlier phenology of resources, leading to a possible mismatch between the timing of reproduction for consumers and food peak. However, global warming may also change the dynamics of food resources, such as the intensity and frequency of pulsed mast seeding. How quantitative changes in mast seeding influence the timing of reproduction of seed consumers remains unexplored. Here, we assess how yearly variation in mast seeding influences mating time in wild boar (Sus scrofa), a widespread seed consumer species. We took advantage of the intensive monitoring of both female reproduction (1636 females) and acorn production over 6 consecutive years across 15 populations of wild boar in the wild. We found that mating time occurs earlier when acorn production increases in most but not all populations. In two out of 15 populations, heavy females mated earlier than light ones. Our findings demonstrate that mast seeding advances the mating time in some populations, which could perhaps impact how boars respond to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Cachelou
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France.,Office Français de la Biodiversité, DRAS-Service conservation et gestion des espèces à enjeux, Montfort, Birieux 01330, France.,Fondation François Sommer, Pôle Nature, 3e arrondissement de Paris, 75003 Paris, France
| | - Christine Saint-Andrieux
- Office Français de la Biodiversité, DRAS-Service anthropisation et fonctionnement des écosystèmes terrestres, 8 Chemin de la Sablière, ZA SUD 67560 Rosheim, France
| | - Eric Baubet
- Office Français de la Biodiversité, DRAS-Service conservation et gestion des espèces à enjeux, Montfort, Birieux 01330, France
| | - Eveline Nivois
- Office Français de la Biodiversité, DRAS-Service conservation et gestion des espèces à enjeux, Chemin du Longeau, Rozérieulles 57160, France
| | - Emmanuelle Richard
- Fondation François Sommer, Pôle Nature, 3e arrondissement de Paris, 75003 Paris, France
| | - Jean-Michel Gaillard
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Marlène Gamelon
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France.,Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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3
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Murano C, Iijima H, Azuma N. Unique population dynamics of Japanese field vole: Winter breeding and summer population decline. POPUL ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/1438-390x.12113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chie Murano
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science Hirosaki University Hirosaki Aomori Japan
| | - Hayato Iijima
- Department of Wildlife Biology, Forest Science Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI) Tsukuba Ibaraki 305‐8687 Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Azuma
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science Hirosaki University Hirosaki Aomori Japan
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Sievert T, Bouma K, Haapakoski M, Matson KD, Ylönen H. Pre- and Postnatal Predator Cues Shape Offspring Anti-predatory Behavior Similarly in the Bank Vole. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.709207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Prey animals can assess the risks predators present in different ways. For example, direct cues produced by predators can be used, but also signals produced by prey conspecifics that have engaged in non-lethal predator-prey interactions. These non-lethal interactions can thereby affect the physiology, behavior, and survival of prey individuals, and may affect offspring performance through maternal effects. We investigated how timing of exposure to predation-related cues during early development affects offspring behavior after weaning. Females in the laboratory were exposed during pregnancy or lactation to one of three odor treatments: (1) predator odor (PO) originating from their most common predator, the least weasel, (2) odor produced by predator-exposed conspecifics, which we call conspecific alarm cue (CAC), or (3) control odor (C). We monitored postnatal pup growth, and we quantified foraging and exploratory behaviors of 4-week-old pups following exposure of their mothers to each of the three odour treatments. Exposure to odors associated with predation risk during development affected the offspring behavior, but the timing of exposure, i.e., pre- vs. postnatally, had only a weak effect. The two non-control odors led to different behavioral changes: an attraction to CAC and an avoidance of PO. Additionally, pup growth was affected by an interaction between litter size and maternal treatment, again regardless of timing. Pups from the CAC maternal treatment grew faster in larger litters; pups from the PO maternal treatment tended to grow faster in smaller litters. Thus, in rodents, offspring growth and behavior are seemingly influenced differently by the type of predation risk perceived by their mothers.
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Spruill-Harrell B, Pérez-Umphrey A, Valdivieso-Torres L, Cao X, Owen RD, Jonsson CB. Impact of Predator Exclusion and Habitat on Seroprevalence of New World Orthohantavirus Harbored by Two Sympatric Rodents within the Interior Atlantic Forest. Viruses 2021; 13:1963. [PMID: 34696393 PMCID: PMC8538774 DOI: 10.3390/v13101963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how perturbations to trophic interactions influence virus-host dynamics is essential in the face of ongoing biodiversity loss and the continued emergence of RNA viruses and their associated zoonoses. Herein, we investigated the role of predator exclusion on rodent communities and the seroprevalence of hantaviruses within the Reserva Natural del Bosque Mbaracayú (RNBM), which is a protected area of the Interior Atlantic Forest (IAF). In the IAF, two sympatric rodent reservoirs, Akodon montensis and Oligoryzomys nigripes, harbor Jaborá and Juquitiba hantavirus (JABV, JUQV), respectively. In this study, we employed two complementary methods for predator exclusion: comprehensive fencing and trapping/removal. The goal of exclusion was to preclude the influence of predation on small mammals on the sampling grids and thereby potentially reduce rodent mortality. Following baseline sampling on three grid pairs with different habitats, we closed the grids and began predator removal. By sampling three habitat types, we controlled for habitat-specific effects, which is important for hantavirus-reservoir dynamics in neotropical ecosystems. Our six-month predator exclusion experiment revealed that the exclusion of terrestrial mammalian predators had little influence on the rodent community or the population dynamics of A. montensis and O. nigripes. Instead, fluctuations in species diversity and species abundances were influenced by sampling session and forest degradation. These results suggest that seasonality and landscape composition play dominant roles in the prevalence of hantaviruses in rodent reservoirs in the IAF ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana Spruill-Harrell
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA;
| | - Anna Pérez-Umphrey
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University and AgCenter, 227 RNR Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA;
| | | | - Xueyuan Cao
- Department of Nursing-Acute/Tert Care, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA;
| | - Robert D. Owen
- Centro para el Desarrollo de la Investigación Científica, Asunción C.P. 1371, Paraguay;
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Colleen B. Jonsson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA;
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6
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Sievert T, Ylönen H, Blande JD, Saunier A, van der Hulst D, Ylönen O, Haapakoski M. Bank vole alarm pheromone chemistry and effects in the field. Oecologia 2021; 196:667-677. [PMID: 34173057 PMCID: PMC8292297 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04977-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Chemical communication plays an important role in mammalian life history decisions. Animals send and receive information based on body odour secretions. Odour cues provide important social information on identity, kinship, sex, group membership or genetic quality. Recent findings show, that rodents alarm their conspecifics with danger-dependent body odours after encountering a predator. In this study, we aim to identify the chemistry of alarm pheromones (AP) in the bank vole, a common boreal rodent. Furthermore, the vole foraging efficiency under perceived fear was measured in a set of field experiments in large outdoor enclosures. During the analysis of bank vole odour by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, we identified that 1-octanol, 2-octanone, and one unknown compound as the most likely candidates to function as alarm signals. These compounds were independent of the vole’s sex. In a field experiment, voles were foraging less, i.e. they were more afraid in the AP odour foraging trays during the first day, as the odour was fresh, than in the second day. This verified the short lasting effect of volatile APs. Our results clarified the chemistry of alarming body odour compounds in mammals, and enhanced our understanding of the ecological role of AP and chemical communication in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorbjörn Sievert
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland.
| | - Hannu Ylönen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - James D Blande
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Amélie Saunier
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Dave van der Hulst
- Environmental Sciences Department, Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AA, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Olga Ylönen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Marko Haapakoski
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
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7
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Andreassen HP, Sundell J, Ecke F, Halle S, Haapakoski M, Henttonen H, Huitu O, Jacob J, Johnsen K, Koskela E, Luque-Larena JJ, Lecomte N, Leirs H, Mariën J, Neby M, Rätti O, Sievert T, Singleton GR, van Cann J, Vanden Broecke B, Ylönen H. Population cycles and outbreaks of small rodents: ten essential questions we still need to solve. Oecologia 2021; 195:601-622. [PMID: 33369695 PMCID: PMC7940343 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04810-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Most small rodent populations in the world have fascinating population dynamics. In the northern hemisphere, voles and lemmings tend to show population cycles with regular fluctuations in numbers. In the southern hemisphere, small rodents tend to have large amplitude outbreaks with less regular intervals. In the light of vast research and debate over almost a century, we here discuss the driving forces of these different rodent population dynamics. We highlight ten questions directly related to the various characteristics of relevant populations and ecosystems that still need to be answered. This overview is not intended as a complete list of questions but rather focuses on the most important issues that are essential for understanding the generality of small rodent population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry P Andreassen
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, 2480, Koppang, Norway
| | - Janne Sundell
- Lammi Biological Station, University of Helsinki, Pääjärventie 320, 16900, Lammi, Finland
| | - Fraucke Ecke
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, 90183, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Stefan Halle
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Marko Haapakoski
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Heikki Henttonen
- Terrestrial Population Dynamics, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Latokartanonkaari 9, 00790, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Otso Huitu
- Terrestrial Population Dynamics, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Latokartanonkaari 9, 00790, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jens Jacob
- Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Vertebrate Research, Julius Kühn-Institut, Toppheideweg 88, 48161, Münster, Germany
| | - Kaja Johnsen
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, 2480, Koppang, Norway
| | - Esa Koskela
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Juan Jose Luque-Larena
- Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenierıas Agrarias, Universidad de Valladolid, Campus La Yutera, Avenida de Madrid 44, 34004, Palencia, Spain
| | - Nicolas Lecomte
- Canada Research Chair in Polar and Boreal Ecology and Centre D'Études Nordiques, Department of Biology, Université de Moncton, 18 Avenue Antonine-Maillet, Moncton, NB, E1A 3E9, Canada
| | - Herwig Leirs
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitslain 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Joachim Mariën
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitslain 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Magne Neby
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, 2480, Koppang, Norway
| | - Osmo Rätti
- Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, P.O. Box 122, 96101, Rovaniemi, Finland
| | - Thorbjörn Sievert
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Grant R Singleton
- International Rice Research Institute, DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, Philippines
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Marine, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK
| | - Joannes van Cann
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Bram Vanden Broecke
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitslain 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Hannu Ylönen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland.
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Wright AN, Yang LH, Piovia-Scott J, Spiller DA, Schoener TW. Consumer Responses to Experimental Pulsed Subsidies in Isolated versus Connected Habitats. Am Nat 2020; 196:369-381. [PMID: 32813995 DOI: 10.1086/710040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIncreases in consumer abundance following a resource pulse can be driven by diet shifts, aggregation, and reproductive responses, with combined responses expected to result in faster response times and larger numerical increases. Previous work in plots on large Bahamian islands has shown that lizards (Anolis sagrei) increased in abundance following pulses of seaweed deposition, which provide additional prey (i.e., seaweed detritivores). Numerical responses were associated with rapid diet shifts and aggregation, followed by increased reproduction. These dynamics are likely different on isolated small islands, where lizards cannot readily immigrate or emigrate. To test this, we manipulated the frequency and magnitude of seaweed resource pulses on whole small islands and in plots within large islands, and we monitored lizard diet and numerical responses over 4 years. We found that seaweed addition caused persistent increases in lizard abundance on small islands regardless of pulse frequency or magnitude. Increased abundance may have occurred because the initial pulse facilitated population establishment, possibly via enhanced overwinter survival. In contrast with a previous experiment, we did not detect numerical responses in plots on large islands, despite lizards consuming more marine resources in subsidized plots. This lack of a numerical response may be due to rapid aggregation followed by disaggregation or to stronger suppression of A. sagrei by their predators on the large islands in this study. Our results highlight the importance of habitat connectivity in governing ecological responses to resource pulses and suggest that disaggregation and changes in survivorship may be underappreciated drivers of pulse-associated dynamics.
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Sievert T, Kerkhoven A, Haapakoski M, Matson KD, Ylönen O, Ylönen H. In utero behavioral imprinting to predation risk in pups of the bank vole. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2791-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In the predator–prey arms race, survival-enhancing adaptive behaviors are essential. Prey can perceive predator presence directly from visual, auditory, or chemical cues. Non-lethal encounters with a predator may trigger prey to produce special body odors, alarm pheromones, informing conspecifics about predation risks. Recent studies suggest that parental exposure to predation risk during reproduction affects offspring behavior cross-generationally. We compared behaviors of bank vole (Myodes glareolus) pups produced by parents exposed to one of three treatments: predator scent from the least weasel (Mustela nivalis nivalis); scent from weasel-exposed voles, i.e., alarm pheromones; or a control treatment without added scents. Parents were treated in semi-natural field enclosures, but pups were born in the lab and assayed in an open-field arena. Before each behavioral test, one of the three scent treatments was spread throughout the test arena. The tests followed a full factorial design (3 parental treatments × 3 area treatments). Regardless of the parents’ treatment, pups exposed to predator odor in the arena moved more. Additionally, pups spend more time in the center of the arena when presented with predator odor or alarm pheromone compared with the control. Pups from predator odor–exposed parents avoided the center of the arena under control conditions, but they spent more time in the center when either predator odor or alarm pheromone was present. Our experiment shows that cross-generational effects are context-sensitive, depending on the perceived risk. Future studies should examine cross-generational behavioral effects in ecologically meaningful environments instead of only neutral ones.
Significance statement
We exposed bank voles to odors signaling predation risk to assess the effects parental predation exposure on the behavior of their offspring. Besides predator odor, we also assessed the role of a conspecific alarm cue as a novel way of spreading the predation risk information. Pup behaviors were assessed in the open-field arena, a standard way of assessing animal behavior in a wide range of contexts. We found that also alarm pheromone increased the time pups spend in the center of the arena similarly to predator odor. While previous studies suggested that offspring would be more fearful, our results indicate that the cross-generational effects are very context-dependent; i.e., they differ significantly depending on which scent cue is presented in the open-field arena. This shows the need for better tools or measurements to translate laboratory results into ecologically meaningful frameworks.
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Effects of predator-induced stress during pregnancy on reproductive output and offspring quality in Brandt’s voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii). EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-019-1354-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Ylönen H, Haapakoski M, Sievert T, Sundell J. Voles and weasels in the boreal Fennoscandian small mammal community: what happens if the least weasel disappears due to climate change? Integr Zool 2019; 14:327-340. [PMID: 30811858 PMCID: PMC6772078 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation are major threats for populations and a challenge for individual behavior, interactions and survival. Predator–prey interactions are modified by climate processes. In the northern latitudes, strong seasonality is changing and the main predicted feature is shortening and instability of winter. Vole populations in the boreal Fennoscandia exhibit multiannual cycles. High amplitude peak numbers of voles and dramatic population lows alternate in 3–5‐year cycles shortening from North to South. One key factor, or driver, promoting the population crash and causing extreme extended lows, is suggested to be predation by the least weasel. We review the arms race between prey voles and weasels through the multiannual density fluctuation, affected by climate change, and especially the changes in the duration and stability of snow cover. For ground‐dwelling small mammals, snow provides thermoregulation and shelter for nest sites, and helps them hide from predators. Predicted increases in the instability of winter forms a major challenge for species with coat color change between brown summer camouflage and white winter coat. One of these is the least weasel, Mustela nivalis nivalis. Increased vulnerability of wrong‐colored weasels to predation affects vole populations and may have dramatic effects on vole dynamics. It may have cascading effects on other small rodent–predator interactions and even on plant–animal interactions and forest dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannu Ylönen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Marko Haapakoski
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Thorbjörn Sievert
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Janne Sundell
- Lammi Biological Station, University of Helsinki, Lammi, Finland
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12
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Sievert T, Haapakoski M, Palme R, Voipio H, Ylönen H. Secondhand horror: effects of direct and indirect predator cues on behavior and reproduction of the bank vole. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Thorbjörn Sievert
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science Konnevesi Research Station University of Jyväskylä P.O. Box 35 40014 Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Marko Haapakoski
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science Konnevesi Research Station University of Jyväskylä P.O. Box 35 40014 Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences University of Veterinary Medicine Veterinärplatz 1 Vienna Austria
| | - Helinä Voipio
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Viikinkaari 1, P.O. Box 65 Helsinki Finland
| | - Hannu Ylönen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science Konnevesi Research Station University of Jyväskylä P.O. Box 35 40014 Jyväskylä Finland
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13
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Do phase-dependent life history traits in cyclic voles persist in a common environment? Oecologia 2019; 190:399-410. [PMID: 31065806 PMCID: PMC6571100 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04410-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Phenotype and life history traits of an individual are a product of environmental conditions and the genome. Environment can be current or past, which complicates the distinction between environmental and heritable effects on the phenotype in wild animals. We studied genome–environment interactions on phenotype and life history traits by transplanting bank voles (Myodes glareolus) from northern and southern populations, originating from low or high population cycle phases, to common garden conditions in large outdoor enclosures. The first experiment focused on the persistence of body traits in autumn-captured overwintering populations. The second experiment focused on population growth and body traits in spring-captured founder voles and F1 generation. This experiment lasted the breeding season and subsequent winter. We verified phase-dependent differences in body size at capture. In the common environment, adult voles kept their original body size differences both over winter and during the breeding season. In addition, the first generation born in the common environment kept the size distribution of their parent population. The increase phase population maintained a more rapid growth potential, while populations from the decline phase of the cycle grew slower. After winter, the F1 generation of the increasing northern population matured later than the F1 of the southern declining ones. Our results suggest a strong role of heredity or early life conditions, greater than that of current juvenile and adult environmental conditions. Environmental conditions experienced by the parents in their early life can have inter-generational effects that manifest in offspring performance.
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Olfactory cues and the value of information: voles interpret cues based on recent predator encounters. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018; 72:187. [PMID: 30573941 PMCID: PMC6267667 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2600-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 11/04/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Prey strategically respond to the risk of predation by varying their behavior while balancing the tradeoffs of food and safety. We present here an experiment that tests the way the same indirect cues of predation risk are interpreted by bank voles, Myodes glareolus, as the game changes through exposure to a caged weasel. Using optimal patch use, we asked wild-caught voles to rank the risk they perceived. We measured their response to olfactory cues in the form of weasel bedding, a sham control in the form of rabbit bedding, and an odor-free control. We repeated the interviews in a chronological order to test the change in response, i.e., the changes in the value of the information. We found that the voles did not differentiate strongly between treatments pre-exposure to the weasel. During the exposure, vole foraging activity was reduced in all treatments, but proportionally increased in the vicinity to the rabbit odor. Post-exposure, the voles focused their foraging in the control, while the value of exposure to the predator explained the majority of variation in response. Our data also suggested a sex bias in interpretation of the cues. Given how the foragers changed their interpretation of the same cues based on external information, we suggest that applying predator olfactory cues as a simulation of predation risk needs further testing. For instance, what are the possible effective compounds and how they change “fear” response over time. The major conclusion is that however effective olfactory cues may be, the presence of live predators overwhelmingly affects the information voles gained from these cues. Significance statement In ecology, “fear” is the strategic response to cues of risk an animal senses in its environment. The cues suggesting the existence of a predator in the vicinity are weighed by an individual against the probability of encounter with the predator and the perceived lethality of an encounter with the predator. The best documented such response is variation in foraging tenacity as measured by a giving-up density. In this paper, we show that an olfactory predator cue and the smell of an interspecific competitor result in different responses based on experience with a live-caged predator. This work provides a cautionary example of the risk in making assumptions regarding olfactory cues devoid of environmental context. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00265-018-2600-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Exposure to Chemical Cues from Predator-Exposed Conspecifics Increases Reproduction in a Wild Rodent. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17214. [PMID: 30464245 PMCID: PMC6249244 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35568-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Predation involves more than just predators consuming prey. Indirect effects, such as fear responses caused by predator presence, can have consequences for prey life history. Laboratory experiments have shown that some rodents can recognize fear in conspecifics via alarm pheromones. Individuals exposed to alarm pheromones can exhibit behavioural alterations that are similar to those displayed by predator-exposed individuals. Yet the ecological and evolutionary significance of alarm pheromones in wild mammals remains unclear. We investigated how alarm pheromones affect the behaviour and fitness of wild bank voles (Myodes glareolus) in outdoor enclosures. Specifically, we compared the effects of exposure of voles living in a natural environment to a second-hand fear cue, bedding material used by predator-exposed voles. Control animals were exposed to bedding used by voles with no predator experience. We found a ca. 50% increase in litter size in the group exposed to the predator cue. Furthermore, female voles were attracted to and males were repelled by trap-associated bedding that had been used by predator-exposed voles. Movement and foraging were not significantly affected by the treatment. Our results suggest that predation risk can exert population-level effects through alarm pheromones on prey individuals that did not encounter a direct predator cue.
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Murano C, Kasahara S, Kudo S, Inada A, Sato S, Watanabe K, Azuma N. Effectiveness of vole control by owls in apple orchards. J Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chie Murano
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural ScienceIwate University Hirosaki Aomori Japan
| | - Satoe Kasahara
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life ScienceHirosaki University Hirosaki Aomori Japan
| | - Seiya Kudo
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life ScienceHirosaki University Hirosaki Aomori Japan
| | - Aya Inada
- IDEA Consultants, Inc. Setagaya Tokyo Japan
| | - Sho Sato
- Tohoku Ryokka Kankyohozen Sendai Miyagi Japan
| | - Kana Watanabe
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life ScienceHirosaki University Hirosaki Aomori Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Azuma
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life ScienceHirosaki University Hirosaki Aomori Japan
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Dehn M, Ydenberg R, Dill L. Experimental addition of cover lowers the perception of danger and increases reproduction in meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). CAN J ZOOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2016-0169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Predation danger is pervasive for small mammals and is expected to select strongly for behavioural tactics that reduce the risk. In particular, since it may be considered a cost of reproduction, predation danger is expected to affect the level of reproductive effort. We test this hypothesis in a population of meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus (Ord, 1815)) under seminatural conditions in field enclosures. We manipulated the voles’ perception of predation danger by adjusting the available cover and measured giving up density (GUD) in food patches to verify that the perception of danger differed between high- and low-cover treatments. Treatments did not differ in actual predation rate, in vole density, or in the quantity or quality of food. During the experiments, we measured indices of vole reproductive effort including activity (electronic detectors), foraging intensity (fecal plates), and the number of young produced (livetrapping). Voles in the high-cover (lower danger) treatments were more active, foraged more, and produced 85% more young per female per trap period than voles in the low-cover (higher danger) treatment. We briefly discuss the population consequences of this adaptive behavioural flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- M.M. Dehn
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - R.C. Ydenberg
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - L.M. Dill
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
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Sipari S, Ylönen H, Palme R. Excretion and measurement of corticosterone and testosterone metabolites in bank voles (Myodes glareolus). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 243:39-50. [PMID: 27815157 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Revised: 10/26/2016] [Accepted: 10/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The bank vole is a commonly used model species in behavioral and ecophysiological studies. Thus, presenting a validated method for noninvasive monitoring of corticosterone and testosterone secretion is of high relevance. Here, we evaluated the effect of time of day and an ACTH challenge test on measured fecal corticosterone (FCM) and testosterone (FTM) metabolites in both sexes. Furthermore, we performed radiometabolism experiments for both steroids and sexes to study metabolism and excretion of 3H-corticosterone and 3H-testosterone. FCM and FTM were analysed with a 5α-pregnane-3β,11β,21-triol-20-one enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and a testosterone (measuring 17β-hydroxyandrostanes) EIA, respectively. Males had significantly higher FCM levels than females and their main excretion route was via the feces (∼72%), whereas females excreted nearly equal portions in both feces and urine. For testosterone the main excretion route was via the feces in both sexes (∼80%). The time course of excretion was similar in both sexes, but for the first time a significant difference between injected steroids was found: Corticosterone was excreted faster than testosterone, both in urine (median of peak levels: 4h vs 6h) and feces (6h vs 8h). Several metabolites were present in the feces and the tested EIAs reacted with some of them. Time of day had a significant effect on measured fecal steroid metabolites. As expected, males had significantly higher FTM levels than females. ACTH administration significantly increased FCM values; peaks were observed 4-8h after injection. In conclusion, both tested EIAs proved suited for a noninvasive measurement of glucocorticoids and androgens in bank voles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saana Sipari
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland.
| | - Hannu Ylönen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria
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Pinot A, Barraquand F, Tedesco E, Lecoustre V, Bretagnolle V, Gauffre B. Density-dependent reproduction causes winter crashes in a common vole population. POPUL ECOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10144-016-0552-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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20
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Successive sheep grazing reduces population density of Brandt’s voles in steppe grassland by altering food resources: a large manipulative experiment. Oecologia 2015; 180:149-59. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3455-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2015] [Accepted: 09/11/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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21
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Lafaille M, Gouat P, Féron C. Efficiency of delayed reproduction in Mus spicilegus. Reprod Fertil Dev 2015; 27:491-6. [DOI: 10.1071/rd13130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2013] [Accepted: 12/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
To cope with seasonally varying ecological constraints, some mammals temporally suppress breeding or delay their first reproduction. In field conditions, mound-building mice (Mus spicilegus) born in spring begin to reproduce when 2–3 months old, whereas individuals born at the end of summer delay their first reproduction for 6–8 months until the following spring. In order to test age effects on reproductive performance in M. spicilegus, sexually naïve mice were paired when 2–3 months old or at 6–8 months of age, and surveyed for reproduction. We show here that under laboratory conditions the aging of these mice does not impair their reproductive efficiency. Thus, the hypothesis of a lower reproductive potential in these relatively aged females seems to be contradicted. More surprisingly, the latency from pairing to the first reproduction was greater in the 2–3-month-old adults than in the delayed reproducers (6–8-month-old mice). Mound-building mice that are old enough to have overwintered do not suffer significant reproductive declines, but appear to reproduce as well and more quickly than younger first-time breeders.
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Bytheway JP, Carthey AJR, Banks PB. Risk vs. reward: how predators and prey respond to aging olfactory cues. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1494-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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