Chestnut caching behavior of Chinese white-bellied rats (Niviventer confucianus) and South China field mice (Apodemus draco): effects of seed size and insect infestation

An, Xiaolei; Zhang, Bo; Feng, Tuo; Han, Ning; Wang, Jing; Chen, Xiaoning; Zhao, Jidong; Qin, Ming; Chang, Gang; Hou, Xiang

doi:10.1007/s00265-022-03247-w

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…Instead, scatter-hoarded food is protected by hiding them in multiple locations with a low storage density and these food caches do not need much defense, but need better spatial memory for late relocation. Many rodent species have been reported with scatter-hoarding behavior, such as Siberian chipmunk ( Tamias sibiricus ), Pallas’s Squirrel ( Callosciurus erythraeus ), Edward’s long-tailed rats ( Leopoldamys edwardsi ), and South China field mice ( Apodemus draco ) ( Pan et al, 2013 ; Yi S et al, 2021 ; An et al, 2022 ; Xiao et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gut microbiota is associated with spatial memory and seed-hoarding behavior of South China field mice (Apodemus draco)

Feng,

Yang,

Zhao

et al. 2023

Front. Microbiol.

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BackgroundScatter-hoarding animals store food in multiple locations within their home range and rely on spatial memory for subsequent localization and retrieval. The relationship between memory and scatter-hoarding behavior has been widely demonstrated, but the association of gut microbiota with spatial memory and seed-hoarding behavior of animals remains unclear.MethodsIn this study, by using enclosure behavior tests, memory tests including an object location test (OLT) and a novel object recognition test (NORT), and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) experiment, we evaluated the role of gut microbiota in affecting the memory and seed-hoarding behavior of rodents. According to their scatter-hoarding intensity, South China field mice (Apodemus draco) were divided into scatter-hoarding group (SG) and non-scatter-hoarding group (NG).ResultsWe found that the SG performed better than the NG in the NORT. FMT from SG donor mice altered the NG recipient mice’s gut microbiota structure. Further tests demonstrated FMT from SG donor mice increased memory of NG recipient mice in laboratory tests and seed larder hoarding intensity of NG recipient mice in enclosures.ConclusionOur results suggest gut microbiota could modulate the memory and seed-hoarding behavior of animals.

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