Aggressive Behavior of Perognathus parvus and Peromyscus maniculatus

Ambrose, Richard F.; Meehan, Thomas E.

doi:10.2307/1380017

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Or, as Terman (1974) suggested, expe rienced voles (field caught adults, in this case) have learned to avoid cotton rats. Regardless of the cause for avoidance, the tendency remains in small mam mals, for the larger member of interspecific pairs to be dominant (Grant 1969, Terman and Johnson 1971, Ter man 1974, Ambrose and Meehan 1977, Petersen and Helland 1978, Randall 1978 and for the general inter action to be one of avoidance by subordinate individ uals (Eisenberg 1963, Murie 1971, Turner and Iverson 1973, Ambrose and Meehan 1977, Petersen and Hel land 1978, Randall 1978. Temporal avoidance of cot ton rats by prairie voles permits prairie voles to use the entire habitat rather than the subset of the area they w ould be restricted to if spatial partitioning oc curred.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Sigmodon Hispidus on Spatial and Temporal Activity of Microtus Ochrogaster: Evidence for Competition

Glass¹,

Slade²

1980

Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Spatial and temporal activities of cotton rats, Sigmodon hispidus, and prairie voles, Microtus ochrogaster, in an old-field habitat in northeast Kansas, USA were studied for 39 mo. During a major portion of the S. hispidus reproductive season the species were spatially segregated but co-occurred the rest of the year. Following a local extinction of cotton rats, prairie voles estab lished a resident population in habitats formerly occupied by cotton rats that was greater than or equal to the vole population in areas which had never been occupied by cotton rats. Comparison of vole population size before and after the loss of cotton rats indicated that cotton rats produced a negative effect on vole population size during the period of spatial segregation but not during the period of spatial co-occurrence. Comparison of vole activity patterns indicated that, with the loss of cotton rats, voles shifted their activity during times when the species had co-occurred but not during periods when they were spatially segregated.Studies of behavioral interactions in a large (4 m x 4 m) arena with varying densities of vertical wires indicated that during single species tests voles and cotton rats preferred the densest areas. Their diel activity patterns were broadly overlapping. In the presence of nonreproductive cotton rats, voles continued to use the same areas as during the control tests but shifted their temporal activity reducing overlap with cotton rats. Interspecific encounters resujted in voles avoiding cotton rats even in the absence of overt aggression. In the presence of reproductive cotton rats, voles shifted their arena usage toward areas least used by cotton rats. Total nocturnal activity by voles was the same as during the control tests but was restricted to hours when cotton rats were least active. Reproductive cotton rats showed higher levels of interspecific aggression than did nonreproductive cotton rats. Voles in the presence of reproductive cotton rats showed increased frequency of serious wounds and deaths, and decreased mass when compared to voles in the presence of nonreproductive cotton rats.We conclude that cotton rats produce a negative effect on prairie vole populations but that the interaction is restricted to the cotton rats' reproductive season. Coexistence of the species appears to rely on the seasonality of the interaction, habitat heterogeneity, and the wider habitat tolerance of prairie voles.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Sigmodon Hispidus on Spatial and Temporal Activity of Microtus Ochrogaster: Evidence for Competition

Glass¹,

Slade²

1980

Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In unmanipulated communities, inferences about the nature of species' interactions can be obtained using pattern analyses or regression techniques (M'Closkey and Fieldwick 1975;Montgomery 1989;Morris 1995;Luo et al 1998). Direct observations of individuals may give further insight into mechanisms that determine habitat partitioning (Grant 1972;Blaustein and Risser 1976;Ambrose and Meehan 1977). For example, after observ- 533 The arrival of new animals to the grids increased on all sites throughout the trapping period.…”

Section: Habitat Selection or Interaction?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The costs to the subordinate species should increase as habitat is simplified and avoidance of the dominant is hindered. With decreasing habitat complexity and escalating costs to the subordinate species, micro-and then macrohabitat separation would be predicted (Ambrose and Meehan 1977;Dickman and Woodside 1983;Morris 1996).…”

Section: Is Competition Intense or Important?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Competition and habitat use in native Australian Rattus: is competition intense, or important?

Maitz

Dickman

2001

Oecologia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study investigates patterns of habitat use and competition in sympatric populations of the bush rat, Rattus fuscipes, and swamp rat, R. lutreolus, in the Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales, Australia. Radiotracking showed that the home ranges of R. fuscipes tended to occupy woodland more than those of R. lutreolus, whereas use of heath and sedgeland by both species was equal. Home range overlaps were less between the two species than between individuals of R. lutreolus. Trap-captures showed that both species used structurally complex microhabitats, but also that R. fuscipes occupied relatively drier sites with denser leaf litter and taller canopy than R. lutreolus. In a field enclosure containing equal parts dense sedge and woodland, both species spent most time in the sedge. R. lutreolus frequently initiated agonistic behaviour and dominated its smaller congener; subordinate individuals fled or vocalized loudly. To test whether the observed patterns of habitat use of R. fuscipes resulted from habitat selection or competition with R. lutreolus, a field experiment was carried out in which the latter species was removed from two study sites but maintained in two controls. Following removal, the capture rate of R. fuscipes increased some 6.5-fold in sedgeland habitat that had been occupied formerly by R. lutreolus, while capture rates in sedge in the control sites remained unchanged. The rapidity of the habitat shift implicates current or intense competition, mediated by interference. Although interference is a costly process, it may benefit the dominant R. lutreolus by allowing priority of access to preferred moist habitats containing important food or shelter resources. Conversely, R. fuscipes may tolerate interference if it benefits from even temporary access to moist habitats, can reliably detect and avoid R. lutreolus prior to encounters, or has access to drier woodland areas under-used by the dominant species. We suggest finally that extensive gene flow in R. fuscipes may preclude adaptive shifts in habitat preferences in local populations that are sympatric with R. lutreolus, thus reducing the importance of competition but maintaining its intensity over time.

show abstract

“…and pocket mice (Perognathus parvus) that do not host SNV, and they avoid pinyon mice (P. truei; Kritzman, 1974;Ambrose and Meehan, 1977;Llewellyn, 1980;Larsen, 1986;Llewellyn and Jenkins, 1987;Falkenberg and Clarke, 1998) that are putative secondary reservoirs for SNV. When encounters between deer mice and other species occur, they often result in fighting and other aggressive interactions (Kritzman, 1974;Ambrose and Meehan, 1977;Llewellyn, 1980;Falkenberg and Clarke, 1998). Shifts in deer mouse behavior or microhabitat use may reduce SNV prevalence if deer mice have more interspecific encounters and fewer intraspecific encounters.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing Mechanisms of the Dilution Effect: Deer Mice Encounter Rates, Sin Nombre Virus Prevalence and Species Diversity

et al. 2009

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Species diversity has been shown to decrease prevalence of disease in a variety of host-pathogen systems, in a phenomenon termed the Dilution Effect. Several mechanisms have been proposed by which diversity may decrease prevalence, though few have been tested in natural host-pathogen systems. We investigated the mechanisms by which diversity influenced the prevalence of Sin Nombre virus (SNV), a directly transmitted virus in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). We monitored both intra and interspecific encounters of deer mice using foraging arenas at five sites in the Great Basin Desert with disparate levels of species diversity to examine two potential mechanisms which may contribute to the dilution of SNV prevalence: (1) reduced frequency of encounters between deer mice, or (2) reduced duration of contacts between deer mice. We also investigated the relationship between deer mouse density and these mechanisms, as density is often predicted to influence both inter and intraspecific encounters. Results of our study indicate that frequency of intraspecific interactions between deer mice was reduced with increased diversity. Species diversity did not impact average duration of encounters. Density was correlated with absolute, but not relative rates of encounters between deer mice, suggesting that encounters may be influenced by factors other than density. Our study indicates that species diversity influences the dynamics of SNV by reducing encounters between deer mice in a trade-off between intra and interspecific interactions.

show abstract

Aggressive Behavior of Perognathus parvus and Peromyscus maniculatus

Cited by 12 publications

References 4 publications

The Effect of Sigmodon Hispidus on Spatial and Temporal Activity of Microtus Ochrogaster: Evidence for Competition

The Effect of Sigmodon Hispidus on Spatial and Temporal Activity of Microtus Ochrogaster: Evidence for Competition

Competition and habitat use in native Australian Rattus: is competition intense, or important?

Testing Mechanisms of the Dilution Effect: Deer Mice Encounter Rates, Sin Nombre Virus Prevalence and Species Diversity

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About