The effects of familiarity and reproductive status on olfactory discrimination by female Cape ground squirrels (Xerus inauris)

Shave, Justin R.; Waterman, Jane M.

doi:10.1007/s00265-017-2410-5

Cited by 7 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…They scent mark in a variety of ways, including by rubbing their snout or anal region on objects and other squirrels, and will investigate the scent marks of other squirrels (Straschil 1975). Adult females spend more time investigating the odour of unrelated (dispersed) males compared to related (family group) males but do not appear to discriminate by finer degrees of relatedness (Shave & Waterman 2017). However, we know little about the use of odour in the recognition of female kin and non-kin conspecifics in this facultative cooperative breeder.…”

Section: Both Mechanisms Of Kin Discrimination Help An Individual Rec...mentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The actual cues used to identify kin vary, depending on species, but can include visual, auditory, and odour cues (Beecher 1982). Communication by scent and scent marking is a major means of kin discrimination in mammals and particularly in ground squirrels (Mateo 2003, Shave & Waterman 2017). Belding's ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi) use odours from the oral, dorsal, pedal, and anal glands for kin recognition .…”

Section: Both Mechanisms Of Kin Discrimination Help An Individual Rec...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We assessed the reproductive condition of each female by noting vulva swelling to detect oestrus. We assessed nipple status (nipples swell permanently when females start breeding; Pettitt & Waterman 2011) and palpated the abdomen to detect the presence of foetuses to determine pregnancy (Shave & Waterman 2017). For permanent identification, we implanted each individual with a passive integrated transponder (PIT tag; AVID Inc., Norco, CA, USA) and all individuals were marked with a unique dye mark (Rodol D; Lowenstein and Sons, New York, NY, U.S.A.) so they could be identified from a distance.…”

Section: Biology Of the Study Animalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used new latex gloves when handling each odour cube to avoid contamination. We then placed the odour cubes in individual plastic bags in a cooler with ice packs and used the cube in a trial immediately or we stored the cube at -20°C and used it within 24 hours of collection (Raynaud & Dobson, 2011;Shave & Waterman 2017). For each odour trial, we used an unscented cube as a control.…”

Section: Study Area Trapping and Handlingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Both familiarity and kinship influence odour discrimination by females in a highly social African ground squirrel

Waterman

Archibald

2019

Animal Behaviour

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Section: Both Mechanisms Of Kin Discrimination Help An Individual Rec...mentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Both Mechanisms Of Kin Discrimination Help An Individual Rec...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Biology Of the Study Animalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Area Trapping and Handlingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Both familiarity and kinship influence odour discrimination by females in a highly social African ground squirrel

Waterman

Archibald

2019

Animal Behaviour

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“…Yet the importance of individual vocal recognition depends on a species’ social system, and the ability to produce and recognize distinct vocalizations should only evolve when more general recognition systems will not suffice (Carlson et al ., 2020). Even within populations, individual vocal recognition has been shown to vary according to sex (Insley et al ., 2003; Freeman & Ophir, 2021), age (Sieber, 1986; Balcombe, 1990; Leonard et al ., 1997), and reproductive status (Pultorak et al ., 2017; Shave & Waterman, 2017), and may be context-dependent. For instance, single male prairie voles are able to discriminate between male conspecifics but not between female conspecifics (Zheng et al ., 2013), yet pair bonded males can discriminate conspecifics independent of their sex (Blocker & Ophir, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for individual vocal recognition in a pair bonding poison frog? Insights from no-choice and two-choice paradigms

Podraza,

Moss,

Fischer

2023

Preprint

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Individually distinctive vocalizations are widespread in nature, although the ability of receivers to discriminate these signals has only been studied through limited taxonomic and social lenses. Here we ask whether anuran advertisement calls, typically studied for their role in territory defense and mate attraction, facilitate recognition and preferential association with partners in a pair bonding poison frog. Combining no- and two-stimulus choice playback experiments, we evaluated behavioral and physiological responses of females to male acoustic stimuli. Virgin females oriented to and approached speakers broadcasting male calls independent of caller identity, implying that females are generally attracted to male acoustic stimuli outside the context of a pair bond. When pair bonded females were presented with calls of a mate and a stranger, they showed a slight preference for calls of their mate. Moreover, behavioral responses varied with breeding status: females with eggs were faster to approach stimuli and spent more time in the mate arm than females that were pair bonded but did not currently have eggs. Our study suggests a potential role for individual vocal recognition in the formation and maintenance of pair bonds in a poison frog and raises new questions about how acoustic signals are perceived in the context of monogamy and biparental care.

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Lovers, not fighters: docility influences reproductive fitness, but not survival, in male Cape ground squirrels, Xerus inauris

Warrington,

Beaulieu,

Jellicoe

et al. 2024

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Over their lifetime, individuals may use different behavioural strategies to maximize their fitness. Some behavioural traits may be consistent among individuals over time (i.e., ‘personality’ traits) resulting in an individual behavioural phenotype with different associated costs and benefits. Understanding how behavioural traits are linked to lifetime fitness requires tracking individuals over their lifetime. Here, we leverage a long-term study on a multi-year living species (maximum lifespan ~ 10 years) to examine how docility (an individual’s reaction to trapping and handling) may contribute to how males are able to maximize their lifetime fitness. Cape ground squirrels are burrowing mammals that live in social groups, and although males lack physical aggression and territoriality, they vary in docility. Males face high predation risk and high reproductive competition and employ either of two reproductive tactics (‘natal’ or ‘band’) which are not associated with different docility personalities. We found that although more docile individuals sired more offspring on an annual basis, docility did not affect an individual’s long-term (lifetime) reproductive output. Survival was not associated with docility or body condition, but annual survival was influenced by rainfall. Our findings suggest that although docility may represent a behavioural strategy to maximize fitness by possibly playing a role in female-male associations or female mate-choice, variations in docility within our study population is likely maintained by other environmental drivers. However, individual variations in behaviours may still contribute as part of the ‘tool kit’ individuals use to maximize their lifetime fitness.

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The effects of familiarity and reproductive status on olfactory discrimination by female Cape ground squirrels (Xerus inauris)

Cited by 7 publications

References 76 publications

Both familiarity and kinship influence odour discrimination by females in a highly social African ground squirrel

Both familiarity and kinship influence odour discrimination by females in a highly social African ground squirrel

Evidence for individual vocal recognition in a pair bonding poison frog? Insights from no-choice and two-choice paradigms

Lovers, not fighters: docility influences reproductive fitness, but not survival, in male Cape ground squirrels, Xerus inauris

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