Differential behavioural and endocrine responses of common voles (Microtus arvalis) to nest predators and resource competitors
Background: Adaptive behavioural strategies promoting co-occurrence of competing species are known to result from a sympatric evolutionary past. Strategies should be different for indirect resource competition (exploitation, e.g., foraging and avoidance behaviour) than for direct interspecific inter...
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ftubpotsdam:oai:kobv.de-opus4-uni-potsdam:40118 2023-05-15T15:56:38+02:00 Differential behavioural and endocrine responses of common voles (Microtus arvalis) to nest predators and resource competitors Liesenjohann, Monique Liesenjohann, Thilo Palme, Rupert Eccard, Jana Anja Katrin (Prof. Dr.) 2017-11-23 application/pdf https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/frontdoor/index/index/docId/40118 https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-401184 https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/files/40118/pmnr402_online.pdf eng eng https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/frontdoor/index/index/docId/40118 urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-401184 https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-401184 https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/files/40118/pmnr402_online.pdf https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess CC-BY ddc:570 ddc:610 Institut für Biochemie und Biologie postprint doc-type:article 2017 ftubpotsdam 2022-08-21T22:34:55Z Background: Adaptive behavioural strategies promoting co-occurrence of competing species are known to result from a sympatric evolutionary past. Strategies should be different for indirect resource competition (exploitation, e.g., foraging and avoidance behaviour) than for direct interspecific interference (e.g., aggression, vigilance, and nest guarding). We studied the effects of resource competition and nest predation in sympatric small mammal species using semi-fossorial voles and shrews, which prey on vole offspring during their sensitive nestling phase. Experiments were conducted in caged outdoor enclosures. Focus common vole mothers (Microtus arvalis) were either caged with a greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) as a potential nest predator, with an herbivorous field vole (Microtus agrestis) as a heterospecific resource competitor, or with a conspecific resource competitor. Results: We studied behavioural adaptations of vole mothers during pregnancy, parturition, and early lactation, specifically modifications of the burrow architecture and activity at burrow entrances. Further, we measured pre- and postpartum faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCMs) of mothers to test for elevated stress hormone levels. Only in the presence of the nest predator were prepartum FCMs elevated, but we found no loss of vole nestlings and no differences in nestling body weight in the presence of the nest predator or the heterospecific resource competitor. Although the presence of both the shrew and the field vole induced prepartum modifications to the burrow architecture, only nest predators caused an increase in vigilance time at burrow entrances during the sensitive nestling phase. Conclusion: Voles displayed an adequate behavioural response for both resource competitors and nest predators. They modified burrow architecture to improve nest guarding and increased their vigilance at burrow entrances to enhance offspring survival chances. Our study revealed differential behavioural adaptations to resource competitors ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Common vole Microtus arvalis University of Potsdam: publish.UP |
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Open Polar |
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University of Potsdam: publish.UP |
op_collection_id |
ftubpotsdam |
language |
English |
topic |
ddc:570 ddc:610 Institut für Biochemie und Biologie |
spellingShingle |
ddc:570 ddc:610 Institut für Biochemie und Biologie Liesenjohann, Monique Liesenjohann, Thilo Palme, Rupert Eccard, Jana Anja Katrin (Prof. Dr.) Differential behavioural and endocrine responses of common voles (Microtus arvalis) to nest predators and resource competitors |
topic_facet |
ddc:570 ddc:610 Institut für Biochemie und Biologie |
description |
Background: Adaptive behavioural strategies promoting co-occurrence of competing species are known to result from a sympatric evolutionary past. Strategies should be different for indirect resource competition (exploitation, e.g., foraging and avoidance behaviour) than for direct interspecific interference (e.g., aggression, vigilance, and nest guarding). We studied the effects of resource competition and nest predation in sympatric small mammal species using semi-fossorial voles and shrews, which prey on vole offspring during their sensitive nestling phase. Experiments were conducted in caged outdoor enclosures. Focus common vole mothers (Microtus arvalis) were either caged with a greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) as a potential nest predator, with an herbivorous field vole (Microtus agrestis) as a heterospecific resource competitor, or with a conspecific resource competitor. Results: We studied behavioural adaptations of vole mothers during pregnancy, parturition, and early lactation, specifically modifications of the burrow architecture and activity at burrow entrances. Further, we measured pre- and postpartum faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCMs) of mothers to test for elevated stress hormone levels. Only in the presence of the nest predator were prepartum FCMs elevated, but we found no loss of vole nestlings and no differences in nestling body weight in the presence of the nest predator or the heterospecific resource competitor. Although the presence of both the shrew and the field vole induced prepartum modifications to the burrow architecture, only nest predators caused an increase in vigilance time at burrow entrances during the sensitive nestling phase. Conclusion: Voles displayed an adequate behavioural response for both resource competitors and nest predators. They modified burrow architecture to improve nest guarding and increased their vigilance at burrow entrances to enhance offspring survival chances. Our study revealed differential behavioural adaptations to resource competitors ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Liesenjohann, Monique Liesenjohann, Thilo Palme, Rupert Eccard, Jana Anja Katrin (Prof. Dr.) |
author_facet |
Liesenjohann, Monique Liesenjohann, Thilo Palme, Rupert Eccard, Jana Anja Katrin (Prof. Dr.) |
author_sort |
Liesenjohann, Monique |
title |
Differential behavioural and endocrine responses of common voles (Microtus arvalis) to nest predators and resource competitors |
title_short |
Differential behavioural and endocrine responses of common voles (Microtus arvalis) to nest predators and resource competitors |
title_full |
Differential behavioural and endocrine responses of common voles (Microtus arvalis) to nest predators and resource competitors |
title_fullStr |
Differential behavioural and endocrine responses of common voles (Microtus arvalis) to nest predators and resource competitors |
title_full_unstemmed |
Differential behavioural and endocrine responses of common voles (Microtus arvalis) to nest predators and resource competitors |
title_sort |
differential behavioural and endocrine responses of common voles (microtus arvalis) to nest predators and resource competitors |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/frontdoor/index/index/docId/40118 https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-401184 https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/files/40118/pmnr402_online.pdf |
genre |
Common vole Microtus arvalis |
genre_facet |
Common vole Microtus arvalis |
op_relation |
https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/frontdoor/index/index/docId/40118 urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-401184 https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-401184 https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/files/40118/pmnr402_online.pdf |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
_version_ |
1766392023787503616 |