Behavior of subadult mountain voles of two species (Alticola strelzowi and A. tuvinicus) in the open field test

Collared (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) and brown (Lemmus trimucronatus) lemmings coexist in tundra habitats across much of the middle and lower Canadian arctic. Their coexistence, and response to predation risk, appears mediated by behavior. We analyzed field-collected videos of open-field tests to assess potential differences in innate behaviors between the two species. Collared lemmings were less active and exhibited less exploratory behavior than did brown lemmings, which were more active under cover than in the open. Similar behaviors scaling along axes of activity and curiosity were revealed by principal components analysis. Each axis defined different aspects of brown lemming personality, but repeated testing of the same individuals yielded a striking dependence of their behavioral response on open-field treatments. Even so, the differences between species in behavior correlate well with their habitat preferences that resolve competition and govern their coexistence.

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Differences in behavior help to explain lemming coexistence

Morris

Dupuch

Moses

et al. 2019

Journal of Mammalogy

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Cathemerality: a key temporal niche

Cox,

Gaston

2023

Biological Reviews

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Given the marked variation in abiotic and biotic conditions between day and night, many species specialise their physical activity to being diurnal or nocturnal, and it was long thought that these strategies were commonly fairly fixed and invariant. The term ‘cathemeral’, was coined in 1987, when Tattersall noted activity in a Madagascan primate during the hours of both daylight and darkness. Initially thought to be rare, cathemerality is now known to be a quite widespread form of time partitioning amongst arthropods, fish, birds, and mammals. Herein we provide a synthesis of present understanding of cathemeral behaviour, arguing that it should routinely be included alongside diurnal and nocturnal strategies in schemes that distinguish and categorise species across taxa according to temporal niche. This synthesis is particularly timely because (i) the study of animal activity patterns is being revolutionised by new and improved technologies; (ii) it is becoming apparent that cathemerality covers a diverse range of obligate to facultative forms, each with their own common sets of functional traits, geographic ranges and evolutionary history; (iii) daytime and nighttime activity likely plays an important but currently neglected role in temporal niche partitioning and ecosystem functioning; and (iv) cathemerality may have an important role in the ability of species to adapt to human‐mediated pressures.

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Experimental Investigations of Hunting Behavior in the Mountain Voles Alticola strelzowi and Alticola Tuvinicus (Rodentia, Cricetidae)

Panteleeva

Levenets

Novikovskaya

et al. 2020

Biol Bull Russ Acad Sci

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Behavior of subadult mountain voles of two species (Alticola strelzowi and A. tuvinicus) in the open field test

Cited by 5 publications

References 12 publications

Differences in behavior help to explain lemming coexistence

Differences in behavior help to explain lemming coexistence

Cathemerality: a key temporal niche

Experimental Investigations of Hunting Behavior in the Mountain Voles Alticola strelzowi and Alticola Tuvinicus (Rodentia, Cricetidae)

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