Effects of high density on spacing behaviour and reproduction in Akodon azarae: A fencing experiment

Ávila, Belén; Bonatto, Florencia; Priotto, José; Steinmann, Andrea R.

doi:10.1016/j.actao.2015.12.001

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 83 publications

(127 reference statements)

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“…Nevertheless, these authors found that during behavioural trails, both resident and intruder females spent most of the time exploring the environment, suggesting tolerant coexistence. Taken together, current evidence is more consistent with the hypothesis that A. azarae breeding females are aggressive against intruder females as a strategy to protect their offspring, a possibility that could explain interfemale spatial avoidance recorded both in wild and in enclosed populations of this species (Priotto & Steinmann 1999;Bonatto et al 2012Bonatto et al , 2015Avila et al 2016).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…In the promiscuous species Peromyscus leucopus, P. maniculatus and Myodes glareolus, female territory holders also act very aggressively towards females near the nest (Wolff 1985(Wolff , 1993Yl€ onen & Horne 2002). Contrarily, in the polygynous species A. azarae, females that maintained exclusive home ranges respect to other females both in wild and enclosed populations did not show any injury evidences even when population densities reached the highest values (Priotto & Steinmann 1999;Bonatto et al 2012;Avila et al 2016). In this study, we found that A. azarae female intrasexual aggressions practically did not involve direct physical contact between opponents and that territory owner females exhibited non-interactive behaviours during trials.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 43%

“…; Ávila et al. ). In this study, we found that A. azarae female intrasexual aggressions practically did not involve direct physical contact between opponents and that territory owner females exhibited non‐interactive behaviours during trials.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Akodon azarae has a polygynous mating system that operates through female defence, in which a minority of males (40%) monopolize several fertile females leaving other males without access to them (Bonatto et al 2012(Bonatto et al , 2013a. In this species, during the breeding period, male home range sizes are always larger than females (240 and 160 m 2 , respectively), show longer movement distances than females (63.5 and 25.6 m, respectively) and female intrasexual overlap percentages are always lower than those of males (7% female/female and 12% male/male) (Priotto & Steinmann 1999;Gomez et al 2011;Bonatto et al 2012Bonatto et al , 2015Avila et al 2016). According to Batzli & Henttonen (1993), an overlap degree significantly lower than the expected by random placement (minor than 10%) would indicate that individuals are avoiding one another (keeping exclusive or non-overlapping home ranges).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…, ; Ávila et al. ). According to Batzli & Henttonen (), an overlap degree significantly lower than the expected by random placement (minor than 10%) would indicate that individuals are avoiding one another (keeping exclusive or non‐overlapping home ranges).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Female Intrasexual Territoriality and its Potential Adaptive Significance: The Pampean Grassland Mouse as an Ecological Model Species

et al. 2017

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Territorial behaviour in female small mammals has been proposed as a mechanism to defend limited ecological resources or their pups against conspecific infanticidal or predators. Female territorial behaviour very often is associated with reproductive activity due to the fact that frequency and intensity of aggression are exhibited mainly when females are pregnant or lactating. In vole and mice species, female territoriality would be a counterstrategy to prevent the killing of their pups by conspecific breeding females. To study whether female territoriality is a strategy for pups or nest defence against infanticidal breeding females, and whether time invested in nursing young affects aggressive response of mothers, we used the Pampean grassland mouse (Akodon azarae) as an ecological model species. We conducted resident–intruder tests between lactating females. Differences in residency time (48 vs. 72 h) of focal females in their home territory were also included in the analysis. In all cases, the pups of both resident and intruder mothers were placed with the nesting material from their reproductive cages. Resident mothers were always more aggressive than intruders and they were even more aggressive when they spent more time nursing their pups. Contrarily, intruder females exhibited the greatest values of submissive behaviours. Our results show that female territoriality of A. azarae would represent a strategy to protect pups from potentially infanticidal females. We discuss the extent of female intrasexual territoriality and its potential adaptive significance in relation to strategies which lead to increase their reproductive success.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 43%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Female Intrasexual Territoriality and its Potential Adaptive Significance: The Pampean Grassland Mouse as an Ecological Model Species

et al. 2017

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Space Use and Social Mating System of the Hantavirus Host, Oligoryzomys longicaudatus

2017

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The long-tailed mouse, Oligoryzomys longicaudatus (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae), is the major host of Andes hantavirus, the etiological agent of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the south of Argentina and Chile. Studying the ecology of this species is necessary to understand how Andes hantavirus is maintained in nature. In this study, we examine the home range size and intra- and intersexual overlap degree of male and female O. longicaudatus in order to elucidate the mating system of this species. To our knowledge, this research provides the first documentation, obtained from a specific design, of spacing and mating systems in this species in Argentina. The study was conducted seasonally from April (autumn) 2012 to October (spring) 2013 in a shrubland habitat of Cholila, Andean region, Argentina. We studied spacing patterns using 59 and 51 home ranges established by adult males and females, respectively, in two 3.24 ha capture-marked and recapture grids. Significant differences between sexes in home range size and overlap degree were found. Male home ranges were always larger than those of females. We observed exclusive space use both among males and females (13.15 ± 18.67, and 3.60 ± 3.43%, respectively). Considering only those males that get access to receptive females (40%), average intersexual overlap value was about 30.82 ± 19.73%. Sexual differences in home range sizes and the spatial avoidance between breeding males, that would reflect intrasexual competition for receptive females, allows us to propose a polygynous mating system for O. longicaudatus.

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Genetic structure of populations of the Pampean grassland mouse, Akodon azarae, in an agroecosystem under intensive management

et al. 2019

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Agroecosystems in central Argentina are a good example of landscape modification by human activities. We used the Pampean grassland mouse (Akodon azarae) as a biological model to assess the effects of landscape fragmentation on the genetic structure of natural populations present in the region. The species is a habitat specialist that is numerically dominant in relatively stable environments, such as remnant areas of native vegetation, stream borders, roadsides and railway banks. We used seven microsatellite loci to analyze the genetic population structure and to explore if there is sex-biased dispersal during the reproductive season at a fine geographical scale. Rodents were captured seasonally in trap lines located on roadsides in an agroecosystem of central Argentina. Values of genetic differentiation among populations and temporal patterns of spatial autocorrelation revealed that the genetic populations occupy areas larger than the sampling area. Causal modeling analyses showed that unfavorable habitats (secondary roads and crop fields)were not barriers to dispersal of Akodon azarae. The high levels of gene flow and the short duration of the low population density phase, followed by a fast recovery, would contribute to the maintenance of highly polymorphic populations. As expected for A. azarae's mating system, males were not genetically structured. However, females' spatial genetic structure varied greatly over the year, which would be related to availability and quality of habitat, and to intrasex interactions. Our work contributes to the understanding of dispersal strategies in small mammals in anthropogenically fragmented habitats like intensively managed agroecosystems.

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Effects of high density on spacing behaviour and reproduction in Akodon azarae: A fencing experiment

Cited by 6 publications

References 83 publications

Female Intrasexual Territoriality and its Potential Adaptive Significance: The Pampean Grassland Mouse as an Ecological Model Species

Female Intrasexual Territoriality and its Potential Adaptive Significance: The Pampean Grassland Mouse as an Ecological Model Species

Space Use and Social Mating System of the Hantavirus Host, Oligoryzomys longicaudatus

Genetic structure of populations of the Pampean grassland mouse, Akodon azarae, in an agroecosystem under intensive management

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