Behavioural and physiological responses of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) to experimental manipulations of predation and starvation risk

Monarca, Rita I.; Mathias, Maria da Luz; Speakman, John R.

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.06.037

Cited by 26 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…The higher food intake in pine forests could also be a consequence of the lack of food resources in this habitat and wood mice would maximize each food source found (as bait inside traps) to meet their energy requirements. This will be in accordance with results from Monarca et al (2015), who under laboratory conditions observed that wood mice increased food intake after several 24 h periods of food starvation.…”

Section: Body Mass and Food Intakesupporting

confidence: 93%

Stressful living in lower‐quality habitats? Body mass, feeding behavior and physiological stress levels in wild wood mouse populations

Navarro-Castilla

Barja

2019

Integrative Zoology

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Wild populations are continuously subjected to changes in environmental factors that pose different challenges. Body condition and hormones have been commonly used as health indicators due to their potential correlation with fitness. In the present study, we analyzed whether habitats of different quality, influenced body mass, food intake and physiological stress levels in wild wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus). Field work was seasonally carried out in Holm oak woods and pine forests in central Spain. 93 wood mice from 4 different populations (2 per habitat type) were live-trapped. From each captured individual we noted body mass and food intake, measured as the amount of bait remaining in each trap. The physiological stress levels were measured non-invasively in collected fresh faeces by quantifying faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCM) with a 5α-pregnane-3ß,11ß, 21-triol-20-one enzyme immunoassay. Wood mice abundances decreased from spring to summer, were higher in Holm oak woods than in pine forests and also resulted in different age-class distribution between both habitats. Individuals inhabiting pine forests showed a lower body mass and increased food intake probably because the comparatively lower food quality and availability in this habitat. Further, these individuals showed increased physiological stress levels, likely due to the lower quality habitat regarding both food and vegetation cover availability. Overall, besides affecting local wood mouse abundance, our study underscores the effect of habitat quality on body mass, food intake and the endocrine stress response. Considering wood mouse pivotal position in ecosystems, these results could help in the understanding of environmental traits hampering viability of wild populations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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Section: Body Mass and Food Intakesupporting

confidence: 93%

Stressful living in lower‐quality habitats? Body mass, feeding behavior and physiological stress levels in wild wood mouse populations

Navarro-Castilla

Barja

2019

Integrative Zoology

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“…Circulating levels of leptin correlated with the adipose tissue mass, but not independently with the treatments. A possible explanation for the absence of treatment effects in circulating leptin levels is the timing of the diet exposure, some studies have demonstrated that maternal exposure to high‐fat diet may cause alterations in the cognitive and behavioural dysfunctions in the offspring (Peleg‐Raibstein, Luca & Wolfrum, 2012; Mendes‐da‐Silva et al ., 2014; Niculescu & Lupu, 2009). In particular, Niculescu & Lupu (2009) reported effects on hypothalamus development, which is the main brain structure associated with energy homeostasis (Schwartz et al ., 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of predation risk on the body mass regulation of growing wood mice

2020

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Body mass in wild animals has been suggested to be regulated by the opposing fitness consequences of variation in body size (and fat storage) for starvation and predation risk. Many studies of adult mammals and birds have broadly confirmed the predictions of this model. However, relatively few studies have addressed the potential role of such trade-offs during early phases of development when animals are growing. Similarly, studies of the impact of high-fat diets on wild small mammals generally show a resistance to weight gain. But whether growing animals are similarly resistant is unclear. In this study, weaned wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) were exposed to a high risk of predation, simulated by the broadcasting of owl calls, for 66 days during which body mass and energy intake were monitored. We hypothesized that if the risk of predation plays a role in regulating body mass during this phase then animals growing under predation risk would grow less. We found female (but not male) mice exposed to the predation risk treatment had lower growth rates and ended the experiment lighter; however, variations in energy intake and resting metabolic rate did not explain the observed differences. Feeding on high-fat diet resulted in individuals with higher body mass. Females reached their adult size earlier than males and were more responsive to the predation risk treatment when feeding on high-fat diet. Our data suggest males body mass to have fitness consequences on social dominance and reproductive success not accounted for in the simple starvation-predation trade-off model.

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“…Most studies related to wood mice focus on ecology, parasitology or reproduction. Recently, more studies on wood mice have been related to environmental pollution (Okano et al, 2016) and stress or behavioral responses in the wild (Malkemper et al, 2015;Monarca et al, 2015;Navarro-Castilla and Barja, 2019;Wan-Long and Zheng-Kun, 2016). Some studies have focused on comparisons of the physiological and behavioral responses between wood mice and common laboratory mice (Lejeune et al, 2000;Shieh et al, 2008;Shieh and Yang, 2018;Tosh et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploratory and agile behaviors with central dopaminergic activities in open field tests in Formosan wood mice (Apodemus semotus)

Shieh

Yang

2019

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Taiwan is a mountainous island, and nearly 75% of its lands are 1000 m above sea level. Formosan wood mice, Apodemus semotus, are endemic rodents and are broadly distributed at altitudes between 1400 and 3700 m in Taiwan. Interestingly, Formosan wood mice show similar locomotor activity in the laboratory as they do in the wild. Hence, we are interested in studying whether exploratory behaviors and central dopaminergic activity are changed in the open field test. We used male C57BL/6J mice as the control, comparing their behavioral responses in the open field, step-down inhibitory avoidance discrimination and novel object recognition tests with those of male Formosan wood mice. We also examined dopamine and its major metabolite 3,4dihydroxyphenylacetic acid in the medial prefrontal cortex, striatum and nucleus accumbens. In open field tests, Formosan wood mice revealed higher levels of locomotion and exploration than C57BL/6J mice. Learning and memory performance in the novel object recognition test was similar in both Formosan wood mice and C57BL/6J mice, but more agile responses in the inhibitory avoidance discrimination task were found in Formosan wood mice. There was no difference in behavioral responses in the open field test between new second-generation Formosan wood mice and Formosan wood mice that were inbred for more than 10 generations. After repeated exposure to the open field test, high levels of locomotion and exploration as well as central dopaminergic activities were markedly persistent in Formosan wood mice, but these activities were significantly reduced in C57BL/6J mice. Diazepam (anxiolytic) treatment reduced the higher exploratory activity and central dopaminergic activities in Formosan wood mice, but this treatment had no effect in C57BL/6J mice. This study provides comparative findings, as two phylogenetically related species showed differences in behavioral responses.

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Behavioural and physiological responses of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) to experimental manipulations of predation and starvation risk

Cited by 26 publications

References 60 publications

Stressful living in lower‐quality habitats? Body mass, feeding behavior and physiological stress levels in wild wood mouse populations

Stressful living in lower‐quality habitats? Body mass, feeding behavior and physiological stress levels in wild wood mouse populations

Effects of predation risk on the body mass regulation of growing wood mice

Exploratory and agile behaviors with central dopaminergic activities in open field tests in Formosan wood mice (Apodemus semotus)

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