ACTA THERIOLOGICA SINICA ›› 2018, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (2): 166-173.DOI: 10.16829/j.slxb.150160

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The effect of defensive aggression on energy budget in striped hamsters

MIN Hongxia, MAO Sisi, HUANG Yixin, ZHAO Zhijun   

  1. College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University
  • Online:2018-03-30 Published:2018-06-19

防御性攻击行为对黑线仓鼠能量收支的影响

闵红霞 毛思思 黄奕鑫 赵志军   

  1. 温州大学生命与环境科学学院
  • 通讯作者: 赵志军 E-mail: zhao73@foxmail.com

Abstract: Aggression behavior is among the most efficient means of competition, which achieves dominance of gaining access to resources, and ensures individual survival and reproductive success. The present study was aimed to understand the energy strategy of aggressive behavior in small mammals. Adult male striped hamsters, a solitary and aggressive animal species, were used in this study, in which intruder hamsters were introduced into the home cage of resident hamsters for 10 min per day, using a resident-intruder model. Energy intake and basal metabolic rate (BMR) were measured in resident hamsters and controls that had no intruders, after twenty-one days of resident-intruder tests. The correlations between BMR and masses of inner organs were examined using Pearson’s correlation analysis. The data showed that the resident hamsters increased BMR by 26.2%, and also significantly elevated gross and digestive energy intake compared to their counterparts without aggressive behavior. Body mass, carcass mass, and masses of liver, lung, kidneys, stomach, small intestine and caecum increased significantly in the Resident group compared to Control group. Significant positive correlations were observed between these organs and BMR. These findings suggest that the adaptive energy budget is employed by striped hamsters to meet the aggressive behavior, within which the energy expenditure caused by defensive aggression is compensated by an increase in energy intake. The intensive conspecific aggression between individuals may be one of the factors influencing higher BMR of this species.

Key words: Aggressive behavior, Basal metabolic rate, Energy intake, Metabolic organs, Striped hamsters

摘要: 攻击行为是增强个体生存能力和提高繁殖成功机会的最有效竞争方式之一。为理解攻击行为对小型哺乳动物能量学收支策略的影响,以具有独居且好斗习性的黑线仓鼠为研究对象,基于居留者-入侵者(resident-intruder)争斗方式将入侵鼠放入居留鼠笼中(10min / d),21d后测定能量摄入、基础代谢率(BMR),分析BMR和内脏器官重量的相关性。结果显示,攻击行为使居留组BMR增加了26.2%,使摄入能和消化能显著增加。居留组体重、胴体重,以及某些代谢活性器官(肝脏、肺脏、肾脏、胃、小肠和盲肠)重量显著增加,且这些器官重量与BMR显著正相关。结果表明,增加能量摄入和BMR是黑线仓鼠应对攻击行为的主要能量学收支策略;在种内个体之间强烈的攻击行为可能是该鼠维持较高水平BMR的原因之一。

关键词: 攻击行为, 基础代谢率, 摄入能, 代谢活性器官, 黑线仓鼠