A comparative study of rodent social behavior in a seminatural enclosure

✍ Scribed by Donald A. Dewsbury

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1983
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 576 KB
• Volume: 9
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0096-140X
• DOI: 10.1002/1098-2337(1983)9:3<207::aid-ab2480090302>3.0.co;2-8

✦ Synopsis

Social behavior, aggression, and copulation were studied in six groups of two males and two females each in seven species of muroid rodents (Clethrionomys gapperi, Microtus montanus, M ochrogaster, M pennsylvanicus, Peromyscus eremicus, P leucopus, and Ppolionotus) in a seminatural enclosure. Data were compared to those from an earlier study with P maniculotus tested under identical conditions. There were appreciable species differences in levels of both aggressive and sexual behavior; the two were not significantly correlated. Although levels of aggression did not appear well correlated with reports of social structure in the field, patterns of weight loss and litter production during the study did appear correlated. In general, levels of copulatory behavior appeared weakly correlated with factors previously proposed as predictors of polygamous mating systems; levels of aggressive behavior were better correlated with taxonomy.