ABSTRACT
The common spiny mice Acomys dimidiatus and golden spiny mice Acomys russatus coexist in the extreme warm and dry parts of the Rift Valley in Israel. However, they are temporally segregated in that the former is nocturnal, whereas the latter is diurnal. Daily rhythms of physiological and behavioral variables in A. russatus responded to semiochemical signals released by A. dimidiatus (in the urine and feces). Both species feed upon the same food items but at different times of the 24-hr cycle. The main aim of the present study was to test under field conditions the foraging response of A. russatus to odors of different ages released by A. dimidiatus. Various feeding and behavioral variables were compared in three groups of A. russatus. The results show that fresh semiochemical signals released by A. dimidiatus decrease the feeding efficiency and increase the rate of smelling from a distance in A. russatus. These results support the idea that temporal segregation between the two coexisting species is at least partly through semiochemicals present in the urine and feces.
Subject(s)
Feeding Behavior , Muridae/physiology , Odorants , Pheromones , Animals , Feces/chemistry , Female , Male , Smell , Time Factors , Urine/chemistryABSTRACT
In order to study the mechanism involved in the seasonal territoriality of breeding bank voles, the social behavior and scent marking of paired females were observed throughout a reproductive cycle. Initially unfamiliar females were kept in large laboratory pens provided with individual burrows. After a brief period of hostility, females behaved in a friendly manner towards each other, sharing the same nest even in the presence of a male and until the middle of pregnancy. They scarcely marked with urine. Continuous olfactory assessment appeared to play an important role in maintaining the friendly interactions. In late pregnant and lactating females, on the contrary, the odor of a familiar female triggered aggressiveness and scent marking with urine and probably with flank glands. These reactions may be interpreted as spacing behavior. Moreover, the interaction between females may inhibit reproduction in one of them. These results are discussed in relation with the available ecological data.
ABSTRACT
To understand the mechanisms underlying displacement (the shift from nocturnal to diurnal activity), in one of the two coexisting spiny mice (genus Acomys), the effect of chemical cues released by A. cahirinus on the time of activity of A. russatus was tested Six golden spiny mice (A. russatus), which prior to the experiments were kept separate from common spiny mice (A. cahirinus), showed nocturnal activity. They were exposed to chemical cues from the urine and faeces of conspecific and heterospecific mice of the opposite sex. The onset of activity in these mice was recorded. While the urine and faeces of conspecific mice did not have a significant effect on the time of onset of activity, heterospecific urine and faeces did cause a significant (p < 0.001) time shift and, a day after they were introduced, activity started 6.8 +/- 1.9 h earlier. This shift also took place on the second day. The results of this study suggest that the mechanism for displacement of A. russatus from nocturnal activity is by chemical signals released by A. cahirinus. Therefore, it may be concluded that chemical cues maintain time separation between these two species.
