Juvenile dispersal in relation to adult densities in wood mice Apodemus sylvaticus

Jensen, Susanne Plesner

doi:10.4098/at.arch.96-17

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Female wood mice are territorial; each male’s range overlaps several female territories ( Tew & Macdonald 1994; Plesner Jensen 1996). Nests are changed frequently as revealed by radio‐tracking ( Wolton 1985) and males frequently move between several females in oestrus – a promiscuous mating system without any paternal investment appears to characterize this species ( Wilson et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Market Effect in the Wood Mouse,Apodemus sylvaticus:Selling Information on Reproductive Status

Stopka

Macdonald

1999

Ethology

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Grooming in the wood mouse is a means by which males obtain information about the reproductive state of females, as grooming creates a situation which allows the male to smell the groomed female’s anogenital area to ascertain her phase of oestrus. Although grooming is reciprocal in this species, it is asymmetrical in that males groom females more often than vice versa. This grooming asymmetry was studied using Markov chain analysis for grooming sequences in two captive wood mouse colonies, and transition rates were used to represent motivation in both sexes. Grooming sessions were often initiated by a male’s attempt to sniff an immobile female’s anogenital region, while the female would immediately react by avoiding or biting the male. In order to entice the female to remain, the male would begin grooming the female’s head and shoulder area, surreptitiously and consistently grooming downwards towards the female’s anogenital region, until she would again terminate such contact either by avoiding or biting the male. While, therefore, the male’s tendency to sniff the female’s anogenital region was stronger than his tendency to groom her, the female’s tendency to terminate the male’s naso‐anal contact was much stronger than her tendency to terminate his grooming bouts. If the male did not initiate grooming after the female terminated naso‐anal contact, she avoided further contacts and escaped. In mice, as in most mating systems, the demand for matings by males is far larger than the number of matings females offer. The mating market, therefore, is highly skewed, which gives females the opportunity to demand ‘commodities’ in return for allowing males to mate. This system allows females to ‘bargain’ with males to obtain grooming in return for anogenital contact. Females assess the length of time they receive grooming and will only allow males to attain anogenital contact after a certain threshold value has been passed. If anogenital contact provides the male with information about the female’s reproductive state and/or with sexual stimulation, then this process represents the first quantified example in short‐lived mammals of females ‘selling sex’ in terms of the market effect. This paper therefore provides a new view of the regulation of grooming: grooming is not simply reciprocal with both participants concerned that the other does not ‘cheat’ (e.g. tit‐for‐tat (TFT)‐like strategy), rather grooming is a commodity which can be bartered against female reproductive information or matings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Market Effect in the Wood Mouse,Apodemus sylvaticus:Selling Information on Reproductive Status

Stopka

Macdonald

1999

Ethology

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“…If densities reflect the food conditions, high dispersal rates at low density may be a strong stabilizing factor against food shortage. Another explanation is that at low numbers rodents disperse just because they can , Plesner-Jensen 1996.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the low density year mice, but not voles, were almost absent from that plot. Thus, according to habitat saturation hypothesis , Lofgren 1995, Plesner-Jensen 1996 mice simply "could" move farther than voles, at least into a dispersal sink.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial behaviour and population dynamics of woodland rodents

Mazurkiewicz

Rajska-Jurgiel²

1998

Acta Theriol.

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. 1998. Spatial behaviour and population dynamics of woodland rodents. Acta Theriologica 43: 137-161.Population dynamics and spatial behaviour of the vole Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreber, 1780) and the yellow-necked mouse Apodemus flauicollis (Melchior, 1834) were studied for 7 years in woodland of Kampinos National Park, Poland. Mice were more mobile and less site-tenacious than voles. Annual peaks ranged from 9 to 104 voles and from 4 to 62 mice per ha. The highest densities of both species were preceded by winter breeding. The greatest movement range and the longest distance moved were observed in the years of low density, whereas in the high density year both species were least mobile and most site-tenacious. Intensive movements in the low density years led to early maturation, high turnover rates, and probably increased mortality. Low mobility and high site tenacity in the high density year enhanced population growth and suppressed maturation. Increasing density and cessation of breeding accounted for declining juvenile recruitment. Differences in movement patterns between years of low and high density were coupled with differences in the autumn age structure and winter mortality of both species.

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“…Aside from predators, small mammal population densities are also heavily affected by food availability. The Habitat Saturation Hypothesis (Selander 1964) postulates that their populations are regulated by available resources in a density-dependent way (Plesner-Jensen 1996). Using behavioural observations and radio-tracking, our research at Wytham established that wood mice are not only capable of detecting and remembering rich food patches (Macdonald et al 2006), but that the size of their territories correlates negatively with the richness of food resources.…”

Section: Box 122 Deer Management In Wytham Woodsmentioning

confidence: 81%