Use of olfaction for sexual recognition in the subterranean rodentCtenomys talarum

Fanjul, María Sol; Zenuto, Roxana Rita; Busch, Cristina

doi:10.1007/bf03194264

Cited by 23 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Previous studies on olfaction in this species of subterranean rodent mainly focused on chemical communication, demonstrating the use of chemical signals for individual, sexual and reproductive‐state recognition (Zenuto & Fanjul 2002; Fanjul et al. 2003; Zenuto et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of vegetation chemical signals for digging orientation in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae)

Schleich

Zenuto

2007

Ethology

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Sensory modalities involved in the localization and selection of food represent critical information for understanding the foraging behavior of subterranean rodents. The objective of this study was to determine if a subterranean rodent that forages on aboveground plant parts, Ctenomys talarum, is able to detect the presence of odorous chemicals released by the plants into the soil to guide its excavation, as has been shown for subterranean species that forage on roots and bulbs. Individuals were introduced into an artificial Y‐maze, whose arms were filled with sandy soil in which plants either had or had not been growing (control). Digging activity exhibited in each soil type was recorded. The following plant species, present in the natural habitat of C. talarum, were used: Panicum racemosum (three different concentrations), Cortadeira sp., Margiricarpus pignatus, Ambrosia sp. and Raphanus sativus. The individuals allocated more time to excavation in the soil in which vegetation had been growing in comparison with the control for the five analysed plant species, except in the case of P. racemosum at its lowest concentration. The number of individuals that completed excavation in the tube‐containing soil in which plants had been growing was significantly higher than in the tube‐containing soil in which no plants had been growing, with the exception of P. racemosum at its lowest concentration and R. sativus. The results of the present study suggest that C. talarum have the ability to use olfaction to orient their digging while foraging even though members of this species consume mainly aboveground plant parts.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of vegetation chemical signals for digging orientation in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae)

Schleich

Zenuto

2007

Ethology

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“…Chemical signals may be important in C. talarum reproductive behaviour since both scent marking and sniffing of urine, feces and anogenital secretions were recorded during courtship encounters (Zenuto et al 2002b). Individuals routinely store feces in their burrow entrances and mark the ground with chemical cues contained in urine, feces and anogenital secretions containing chemical cues which encode individual, gender and reproductive state identity (Zenuto and Fanjul 2002, Fanjul et al 2003, Zenuto et al 2004. These cues can be perceived by neighbouring animals during their aboveground foraging trips.…”

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confidence: 99%

Female reproductive responses to photoperiod and male odours in the subterranean rodentCtenomys talarum

Fanjul

Zenuto

2008

Acta Theriol

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The propitious timing of reproductive efforts favours the survival of both parents and the offspring at the time when conditions and/or resources to support the care and rearing of offspring are assured (Bronson 1989, Ims 1990. Reproduction is controlled by physiological interactions mediated by hormones which are ultimately induced by environmental and social factors including photoperiod, temperature, [73] Acta Theriologica 53 (1): 73-85, 2008. . 2008. Female reproductive responses to photoperiod and male odours in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum. Acta Theriologica 53: 73-85.The tuco-tuco Ctenomys talarum Thomas, 1898 is a solitary subterranean rodent that breeds seasonally in coastal sand-dune grasslands from Argentina. We assessed whether short-day photoperiod determines the onset of reproduction by an increase in female's receptivity and whether male odour interacts with photoperiod as a cue by producing a greater response in receptivity. Receptivity was measured by an increase in the percentage of vaginal epithelial cells, particularly cornified cells. Females were trapped during their non-reproductive season (summer-long days) and randomly assigned to different day-length experimental groups: constant summer (CS), early winter (EW), and natural (NA) photoperiod. We examined the vaginal epithelium using vaginal smears during the first experimental phase (120 days) to test the effect of photoperiod. In the second experimental phase (15 days), we presented the females with male-soiled shavings to test the effect of photoperiod and male odor. Ctenomys talarum females showed some evidence of reproductive responsiveness to photoperiodic cuing. The proportion of epithelial cells peaked earlier in females when winter day-length was advanced than in females under natural photoperiod. Contrary to that expected, male odours did not stimulate female receptivity. These results suggest that, while photoperiod may participate in regulating reproduction, the integration of other environmental and social factors, as well as the identification of bodily conditions that lead to differences in individual response needs further consideration.

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“…Olfaction represents one of the most relevant behaviors in subterranean rodents due to the singular characteristics of their habitat (Nevo 1999). In adult Los Talas' tuco-tucos, this behavior is related to individual and sex recognition (Zenuto and Fanjul 2002;Fanjul et al 2003), courtship (Zenuto et al 2002b), and digging orientation (Schleich and Zenuto 2007). In the present experiment, the pups displayed early sniffing behavior during ontogeny, and the presence of maternal odors produced relatively longer latencies to consume panicgrass, which suggests that a possible influence of maternal odors on food recognition and/or preference acquisition should not be discarded.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

“…Individuals of both sexes and all ages display a low vagility and maintain exclusive territories (Busch et al 1989) through aggression, vocalization, and urine/feces marking (Zenuto et al 2001). They are able to discriminate reproductive condition, sex, and source population of conspecifics by means of chemical cues contained in urine, feces, soiled shavings, or anogenital secretions (Zenuto and Fanjul 2002;Fanjul et al 2003;Zenuto et al 2001Zenuto et al , 2004. Finally, they are considered mainly generalist herbivores due to the high cost of burrowing, which restricts the possibility of a selective foraging behavior (Comparatore et al 1995;Busch et al 2000;del Valle et al 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Role of maternal odors on foraging behavior during postnatal development in a solitary subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum

Echeverría

Vassallo

2011

acta ethol

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We investigated the role of maternal odors emanating from excretory deposits and/or glandular secretions during the postnatal development of foraging and related behaviors in young Los Talas' tuco-tucos (Ctenomys talarum), a solitary rodent, under seminatural conditions. During cafeteria tests, we offered them two of the grasses most preferred by adults of this species (bromegrass, Bromus unioloides and panicgrass, Panicum racemosum). We scent marked one dietary option in a treatment group, and the other option in a second treatment group, keeping a third group with no odors as control. Pups did not show to prefer a special grass in particular, and maternal odors showed no effect on the behavioral variables evaluated in this study. When they reached their weaning age, they showed an ontogenetic change in food preferences, where they preferred bromegrass, and maternal odors influenced negatively on the consumption of panicgrass. During dispersal, preference for bromegrass was expressed independently of the presence of maternal odors. Overall, their effect was less pronounced than age's effect, and it was evident in only a subset of the conducted experiments. This study shows that the influence of maternal odors is not essential for the establishment of feeding or site preferences in this species in seminatural conditions, contrarily to what was observed in other studies performed with social mammal species (i.e., rats and rabbits). It is suggested that other factors (e.g., individual learning) might influence the observed preferences.

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Use of olfaction for sexual recognition in the subterranean rodentCtenomys talarum

Cited by 23 publications

References 36 publications

Use of vegetation chemical signals for digging orientation in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae)

Use of vegetation chemical signals for digging orientation in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae)

Female reproductive responses to photoperiod and male odours in the subterranean rodentCtenomys talarum

Role of maternal odors on foraging behavior during postnatal development in a solitary subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum

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