Intra and interspecific behavior of Microtus pennsylvanicus and Microtus pinetorum

Autor: Jack A. Cranford, Terry L. Derting
Rok vydání: 1983
Předmět:
Zdroj: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 13:7-11
ISSN: 1432-0762
0340-5443
DOI: 10.1007/bf00295070
Popis: Field captured adult meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and adult pine voles (Microtus pinetorum) were behaviorally tested in a large arena in the laboratory to compare intra and interspecific behaviors. Five behavioral categories were compared and used to evaluate dominance relationships. Intraspecific within sex comparisons showed female meadow voles were more aggressive than males while within pine voles males exhibited more aggressive and retreat behaviors than females. Female meadow voles exhibited a greater frequency of contacts than males while male pine voles were more contact-oriented and females exhibited more attentive and aggressive behaviors. Interspecific within sex comparisons indicated that male pine voles were more aggressive than male meadow voles. However, in female interspecific encounters no significant difference in aggression occurred though other behaviours differed. An overall evaluation of behavioral data indicates that maintenance of individual distance both within and between these species may be expressed by pine voles via aggressive behavior and by meadow voles by non-aggressive dominant behavior or mutual avoidance.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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