Defensive behaviors are a response to immediate and potential threats in the environment, including abiotic and biotic threats. Subterranean rodents exhibit morphological and physiological adaptions for life underground, and they will seal with mounds and additional plugs when their burrow opened. However, little is known about the factors driving this defensive behavior. In this study, we selected a subterranean rodent, plateau zokor (Myospalax fontanieri), as a species to investigate (both in the laboratory and in the field) the possible factors responsible for burrow-sealing behavior. Our results showed that: (1) In the laboratory, the burrow-sealing frequency of plateau zokor in response to five factors were as follows: oxygen (52.63%) > light (34.58%) > temperature (20.24%) > gas flow (6.48%) > sound/control (0%). Except for light, the burrow-sealing frequency in response to other factors was significantly lower than that in response to oxygen (P < 0.05). (2) Burrow-sealing behavior in response to each treatment did not differ significantly between males and females in the laboratory experiment. (3) In the field, during the animal’s active periods in both the cold and warm season, the burrow-sealing frequency under the oxygen treatment was higher than that under the light and temperature treatments. Plateau zokors were found not to be sensitive to these treatments during their inactive periods during both the cold and warm season. (4) The latency to reseal the burrow showed no obvious differences between each treatment both in the laboratory and in the field. In conclusion, the main factor that influences the burrow-sealing behavior of plateau zokors is the variation in oxygen concentration, and this defensive behavior is related to their activity rhythm.
As ecosystem engineers, subterranean rodents excavate and inhabit burrow systems. However, the changes in their use of underground space are poorly recorded. There is conflicting evidence about whether the burrow systems of subterranean rodents, once established, are relatively stable as a result of the high energy costs of digging. We monitored the size of the home ranges of the plateau zokor (Myospalax baileyi) during different stages of its life cycle to show whether mating behavior and the characteristics of its habitat influence the size and location of its home range. We used radio-tracking to quantify the changes in, and overlap of, the home range of M. baileyi during a one-year period. The average size of the home ranges of male zokors was 6.5 times larger than that of female zokors during the mating season. The males expanded their burrows to overlap with multiple females to increase their chances of mating. However, there was no overlap between estrus females or males, perhaps to reduce the number of encounters and unnecessary fights. The home ranges of male and female zokors were similar in size after courtship and the home ranges of single zokors overlapped with those of several neighbors. Most individuals remained territorial and excluded intraspecific interactions from their home ranges. The location of female zokors was stable throughout the year, but half of the males changed the location of their nests and established completely new home ranges in the non-breeding season, mainly in October. The use of space by M. baileyi is flexible in response to a need for physical contact during the mating season and food resources. The home ranges of subterranean plateau zokors are dynamic and the home ranges of male zokors can change within one breeding cycle.
There are considerable challenges involved in studying the behavior of subterranean rodents owing to the underground nature of their ecotope. Seismic communication plays a crucial role in the behavior of subterranean rodents, particularly solitary ones. The plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi), a solitary subterranean rodent species endemic to the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, will usually occupy empty neighboring tunnels in order to extend their territory. Little is known, however, about the process of territorial occupation or the function of animal communication when occupation is taking place. Based on previous studies of subterranean rodent communication, we hypothesized that plateau zokors use seismic signals to detect neighboring tunnels and then occupy them when it was found their neighbors were absent. To test this, we placed artificial tunnels close to active original zokor tunnels to simulate the availability of an empty neighboring tunnel, and then the seismic signals when a zokor chose to occupy the empty artificial tunnel were recorded. The results showed that the frequency of zokors occupying artificial empty tunnels within 48 h was 7/8, In all of these instances, the zokors generated seismic signals before and after occupation of the empty artificial tunnel. The number of seismic signals generated by the zokors increased significantly (p = 0.024) when they detected and occupied the artificial tunnels, compared to those generated in their original tunnels without the presence of an artificial tunnel alongside. Inside the original tunnels, the inter-pulse time interval of the seismic signals was significantly higher (p < 0.001), the peak frequency of these signals was significantly higher (p < 0.01), and the energy of the signals was significantly lower (p = 0.006), compared with those when an artificial tunnel was positioned next to the original. The results of this study suggest that plateau zokors first generate seismic signals to detect empty neighboring tunnels and that they are empty. In the absence of neighbor plateau zokors, they occupy the empty tunnels to extend their own territory.
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