Ranging patterns of two syntopic gerbillid rodents: a radiotelemetry and live-trapping study in semi-desert habitat of Kalmykia, Russia

Abstract

2004. Ranging patterns of two syntopic gerbillid rodents: a radiotelemetry and live-trapping study in semi-desert habitat of Kalmykia, Russia. Acta Theriologica 49: 17-31.We studied ranging patterns of syntopic folivorous and granivorous gerbils (Meriones tamariscinus Pallas, 1773 and Meriones meridianus Pallas, 1773, respectively) by means of radiotracking and live-trapping in Kalmykia, southern Russia. We hypothesized that ranging patterns exhibited by these rodents would differ in accordance with differences in their preferred diets. Trapping and radiotracking were performed from 23 May to 20 June 2000 on a 12 ha grid divided into 20 ´ 20 m squares. To assess ranging patterns we estimated the number of grid squares visited by an individual, 100% minimum convex polygon, mean squared distance from the center, maximal distance between individual locations, linearity index, and distance measures at various temporal scales. In accord with expectations, females of folivorous M. tamariscinus exhibited smaller ranges than females of granivorous M. meridianus. Contrary to our expectations both trapping and radiotracking data revealed similar "granivorous" ranging patterns in males of both species of gerbils. Male M. meridianus and M. tamariscinus were similar in number of burrows used, home range size, and distances traversed. No temporal dependence of distance measures was revealed in either species; males of both species traversed similar distances regardless of time interval for distance measures so that single-night movements and multiday movements did not differ in either species. High food selectivity in male M. tamariscinus is considered to be responsible for the "granivorous" pattern of space use in this folivorous species.A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, 33 Leninskii pr.,

Flexible males, proactive females: personality tests show increased boldness/exploration in colonists damping with time in males but not in females

“…We previously have shown that sociability is a consistent personality trait in M. meridianus (Tchabovsky et al 2019b, 2024), which, according to this study, seems unrelated to the colonization process. We attribute this to the overall low sociability as a species-specific trait of this socially indifferent gerbil (Gol’tsman et al 1994; Tchabovsky et al 2004; Shilova, Tchabovsky 2009). In particular, midday gerbils showed no preferences between familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics in the preference tests (Tchabovsky et al 2019b), suggesting that their response to social novelty in colonies may be weak.…”

“…Meriones meridianus is a small (50-60 g of adult body mass), short-lived (ca eight months of life expectancy) nocturnal-diurnal mainly granivorous psammophilous gerbil inhabiting deserts and semi-deserts of Central Asia, Northern China, and Southern Russia (Wang et al 2013; Nanova et al 2014; Tchabovsky et al 2019a; Yang et al 2020). Midday gerbils live solitarily or in loose aggregations: males and females are not territorial, do not form pair bonds, are socially promiscuous, interact rarely, display little agonistic or amicable behaviour, and, on the whole, are socially indifferent (Gol’tsman et al 1994; Tchabovsky et al 2004; Shilova, Tchabovsky 2009; Tchabovsky et al 2019b). Breeding season in Kalmykia typically lasts from early April to mid-September.…”