Previous Articles     Next Articles

The discrimination to self and novel odours of male root voles (Microtus oeconomus) in different social status

SUN Ping,ZHAO Yajun,XU Shixiao,ZHAO Xinquan   

  • Online:2006-08-31 Published:2008-07-07

不同社会等级雄性根田鼠对自身和同性陌生气味的辨别

孙 平, 赵亚军, 徐世晓, 赵新全   

  1. 中国科学院西北高原生物研究所,西宁,

Abstract: Social status of male root voles (Microtus oeconomus) was determined by dyadic interaction test. The behavioral patterns displayed by male root voles of different social status to fresh urine from self and non-self males were investigated in a behavioral choice maze. The results showed that: Subordinates preferred odors of self to non-self ones. There was a significant difference in approach latency between scent of self and non-self. They spent more time visiting the scent of self than they did visiting non-self ones. In addition, they self-groomed more frequently in scent of self box than in non-self box. Dominants preferred odors of non-self to self odors, there were significant differences between the visit time to scent of self and non-self in the duration of sniffing/ licking time, self-grooming, and countermarking. There was a significant difference between the dominants and subordinates in behavioral patterns in response to odors. The results indicate that male voles of different social status had the ability for self-recognition, it also suggested that male root voles' different discrimination patterns and the different response patterns to scents of non-self odors were related to their social status.

Key words: Root vole (Microtus oeconomus), Social status, Self-recognition, Urine scent

摘要: 采用两两遭遇法确定雄性根田鼠的社会等级,然后以新鲜尿作气味源,在行为选择箱中观察不同社会等级雄性根田鼠对自身气味和非自身气味的行为响应模式,结果表明:种群中从属个体对自身尿液存在明显偏好,其对自身尿液的接近潜伏期显著短于非自身尿液,而访问时间、自我修饰频次都显著高于非自身尿液;种群中优势个体则优先访问非自身尿液,其对非自身尿液的访问时间、嗅舔时间、自我修饰及反标记均显著高于自身尿液;对非自身尿液,不同社会等级雄性个体之间存在明显不同的行为反应模式。这说明,不同社会等级雄性根田鼠具有自我识别的能力且模式不同,同时其对非自身尿气味响应模式的差异也与自身的社会等级有关。

关键词: 根田鼠, 尿气味, 社会等级, 自我识别