Reproduction and postnatal development of the bushveld gerbil Gerbilliscus (formerly Tatera) leucogaster

Lötter, Tracy K.; Pillay, Neville

doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2008.06.001

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The body weights of the animals were in general similar to those previously published (e.g. see De Graaff ; Lötter and Pillay ; Shenbrot et al . ) although, in a few cases, they appeared to be a little greater than those recorded previously; a finding that may have been due to the animals having being kept under captive conditions for a period of time.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

The Gerbil Spermatozoon – interspecific variation in morphology does not invariably follow murine rodent evolutionary trends in response to predicted intermale sperm competition

2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

McLennan, H.J., Tuke, J. and Breed, W.G. 2016. The Gerbil Spermatozooninterspecific variation in morphology does not invariably follow murine rodent evolutionary trends in response to predicted intermale sperm competition. -Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 97: 361-369.In various groups of mammals, the intensity of intermale sperm competition relates to relative testes mass (RTM) with some evidence suggesting that this may also be the case for some aspects of sperm form. In murid rodents, a large RTM generally correlates with a streamlined sperm head, long apical hook and long tail with most data coming from species in the subfamily Murinae. In this study, RTM and sperm form are compared across 15 species of gerbils, seven from the Tribe Taterillini and eight from the Tribe Gerbillini. Marked interspecific differences in RTM and sperm morphology were observed. However, the Gerbilliscus species with the largest RTM do not have a sperm head with an apical hook nor a longer sperm tail than other species with smaller RTM whereas, by contrast, in the Tribe Gerbillini, species where the sperm head lacks a hook have a relatively small testes mass. We thus suggest that in gerbils, unlike in murine rodents, high levels of postcopulatory sexual selection have not invariably resulted in the evolution of a spermatozoon with a long apical hook and long sperm tail. The possible reasons for this are briefly discussed.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

The Gerbil Spermatozoon – interspecific variation in morphology does not invariably follow murine rodent evolutionary trends in response to predicted intermale sperm competition

2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Moreover, there was no treatment effect, suggesting that differences in costs and incentives are unlikely to affect differences in behavior. Bushveld gerbils can be aggressive toward conspecifics (Lötter, 2010), so it is possible that males increase vigilance when foraging in a high quality patch to defend patches against conspecifics. However, as little is known about the general behavior of bushveld gerbils, this assumption would require additional testing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision-making by bushveld gerbils (Gerbilliscus leucogaster).

Rymer

Cruise

Pillay

2021

Journal of Comparative Psychology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is possible that females encountered males less often after parturition due to investment in other behaviours such as lactation or feeding or because of contact avoidance between the pair, resulting in fewer opportunities for direct aggression (avoidance may lead to lower direct aggression; Bronson 1964). Furthermore, since G. leucogaster has a postpartum oestrus (Lötter and Pillay 2008), and since sexual behaviour must include non-repulsive elements to achieve successful copulation (Happold 1976), we would expect reduced aggression of females towards males after parturition to facilitate mating. However, only two of the eight females became pregnant with a second litter during the course of this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social interactions associated with reproduction in the bushveld gerbil Gerbilliscus leucogaster

Lötter

Pillay

2011

Acta Theriol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The study of social behaviour can give us important insights into the social and mating system of a species or population. We investigated male-female interactions in captive bushveld gerbils, Gerbilliscus leucogaster, to gain insight into the social behaviour and mating structure. We conducted two experiments. In experiment 1, we studied the interactions between two strangers for a week in a three-tank setup, which tested behavioural variation spatially and temporally. Although tolerance between strange males and females increased with time, it remained generally low throughout the experiment. Females appeared to be cautious of males initially, but they later became aggressive towards them. Males showed an increase in submissive behaviour over time. The 'home' cage did not appear to be defended by either sex. In experiment 2, we investigated the social interactions of male-female pairs during pregnancy and lactation. Aggression persisted throughout the study and amicable behaviour was low; females were much more aggressive than males. We did not detect changes in social behaviour with the progression of pregnancy and lactation. We suggest that pair bonding is unlikely and that promiscuity is the most probable mating system. Female aggression may be related to mate choice prior to mating and mate exclusion thereafter, while it may be a response to infanticide risk during pregnancy and lactation.

show abstract

Reproduction and postnatal development of the bushveld gerbil Gerbilliscus (formerly Tatera) leucogaster

Cited by 6 publications

References 19 publications

The Gerbil Spermatozoon – interspecific variation in morphology does not invariably follow murine rodent evolutionary trends in response to predicted intermale sperm competition

The Gerbil Spermatozoon – interspecific variation in morphology does not invariably follow murine rodent evolutionary trends in response to predicted intermale sperm competition

Decision-making by bushveld gerbils (Gerbilliscus leucogaster).

Social interactions associated with reproduction in the bushveld gerbil Gerbilliscus leucogaster

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About