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Influence of Photoperiod on Conspecif ic Odor Preferences of Adult Male Brandt's Vole ( Microtus brandti)

ZHANG Li FANG Jiming SUN Ruyong   

  • Online:2005-07-12 Published:2008-07-07

光周期对雄性布氏田鼠种内个体气味辨别的影响

张立  房继明 孙儒泳   

  1. 北京师范大学生态研究所生物多样性与生态工程教育部重点实验室

Abstract: The odor preferences and the changes of behavioral strategy of male adult Brandt’s vole in different photoperiods were studied. All male actors showed more social investigation on the odors of long-photoperiod (LD) males/ females than those of short-photoperiod (SD) male/ female donors in a 302min odor choice test. LD males presented more sniffing and digging significantly to the substrates of unfamiliar opposite-sex/ same-sex individual scents than SD males. While , exposed to the substrate of diestrous female , LD and SD male did not differ in the behavior of sniffing and digging. Male voles preferred to staying in the odor chamber with LD male scents over that of SD males. LD male actors spent more time on staying in the odor chamber with LD female substrate than that of SD female substrate , while SD male actors showed no difference in the duration of visit between LD and SD female odor chambers. LD males preferred the scents of LD estrous females to those of LD diestrous donors , and presented no significant difference to the SD estrous and diestrous female odors. SD male actors showed more sniffing to the odor of LD/ SD estrous females than that of diestrous females on the frequency of the behavior. Those results suggested that the changes inBrandt’s vole’s odor emissions and odor preferences were associated with the changes of the photoperiod , and individual scents of the vole carried the information of seasonal changes. Odors released in long-photoperiod lead to more sexual attractions than those of emitted in short-photoperiod ; short-photoperiod might restrain the estrus of females and the sexual behavior of males.

Key words: Brandt's vole, Olfactory communication, Odor discrimination, Photoperiod

摘要: 本文研究了成年雄性布氏田鼠对不同光照周期下(长光照: LD; 短光照: SD) 的陌生雌鼠和陌生雄鼠气味的行为表现。实验发现: 所有被试雄鼠对LD 雄鼠、雌鼠气味比SD 雄鼠、雌鼠气味有更多的社会探究行为。LD 雄鼠比SD 雄鼠对同性或异性陌生个体气味的嗅闻和挖掘行为要多, 而且差异显著。在探究LD 动情雌鼠气味源时, LD 雄鼠比SD 雄鼠表现出更多的嗅闻和挖掘行为; 在探究SD 动情雌鼠气味源时, LD 和SD 雄鼠的行为反应没有明显差别。所有被试雄鼠在LD 雄鼠气味源箱中的停留时间都显著多于在SD 雄鼠气味源箱中的停留时间。LD 雄鼠在LD 雌鼠气味源箱中的停留时间显著多于在SD 雌鼠气味源箱中的停留时间; 而SD 雄鼠在LD 和SD 雌鼠气味源箱中的进入频次和停留时间没有明显差别。同时, LD 雄鼠对LD 动情雌鼠的气味在嗅闻频次和嗅闻时间上多于非动情LD 雌鼠, 而对SD 动情和非动情雌鼠的气味没有表现出明显的偏好; SD 雄鼠对LD 和SD 动情雌鼠的嗅闻行为仅在频次上显著多于对非动情雌鼠的嗅闻, 而在时间上没有显著差别。结果表明: 布氏田鼠嗅觉通讯中的个体气味及其对气味进行辨别过程中的行为反应都随着光照周期的不同而发生变化。动物的个体气味带有季节性信息, 来源于长光照下的气味比短光照下的气味更具有性吸引; 短光照在一定程度上可能抑制了雌鼠的动情和雄鼠的性行为反应。其嗅觉通讯行为的适应意义可能在于: 减少秋季短日照环境下的繁殖活动, 提高雄性个体之间的社会容忍性以利于集群越冬。

关键词: 布氏田鼠, 嗅觉通讯, 光周期, 气味辨别